In Good Company

CREATIVE PROCESS — Post 2

"Fauvism Masquerading as Realistic Impressionism" Oil on Canvas © 2014-2026. Linnie Aikens Lindsay

Imagine walking through a Japanese garden where a water lily is the size of a large stepping stone, the cherry tree taller than a sequoia, stone lanterns that you can see both the top view and underneath at once, a garden bridge rivaling the expanse of the Bay Bridge, and best of all, you have to either be a Hobbit or crawl on your hands and knees to pass through the Torri Gate in order to experience this peaceful state of enlightenment of this painting. Even the name of my painting, "Tranquil Awakening," seems to be a bit of a paradox, two words that rarely assume the other.

Nowhere is this more evident than in my Lotusland series. In "Pink Lotus Pond, dream a little with me and picture yourself walking through a magical garden at midnight, a lotus pond lit up by the moon as if beckoning the exotic habitants to a moonglow dance—where abalone shells the size of past serving bowls radiate a mystical beauty and five-foot clam shells appear like giant hands cupping living water that nourishes the enormous lotus supplicants reaching up to the night sky in ritualistic dance. Lay down with me "Under the Dragon Trees," and stare at the sun rays piercing through the canopy, transforming the fronds into a sky of large purple stars. Then walk through a path flanked by enormous tropical and bromeliad plants and fan aloes to dance the merengue in the shower falling from more giant clamshells. In "Blue Garden Afternoon," pretend you are a tiny ant making your way through a fiery stone path in a jungle of giant succulents and cacti, all ablaze with larger than life color and ferocity. These are but a few examples of what I am coming to realize are key components of my style as an artist.

Nearly all of my oil paintings express my love and joy for color...big, bright exuberant and bold color. I've learned to tone it down a bit, balance it out with more neutrals and values rather than full-chroma, in your face, don't ignore me color, and yet still, color always leads and steals the show.

I'm abysmal at perspective.... have studied, practiced it, even taught it, and I can spot it immediately in my students' paintings, but never my own until later. I am and will always be about feelings, color, light, and mood, so much so, that I'll rush to express those while overlooking the most basic of technical elements. Alas! Remember that Cezanne and VanGogh had TERRIBLE perspective in their works too and have enthralled an untold number of us for generations, so here's me saying I'm okay with it. I'm in good company I figure.

I'm calling my style fauvism masquerading as realistic impressionism. (A sprinkle of surrealism and a teeny bit of Cubism thrown in to depict multiple perspectives of the subject matter at once, but without the geometric abstraction most associated with Cubism.)

Fauvism: a style of painting with vivid expressionistic and nonnaturalistic use of color

that flourished in Paris from 1905 and, although short-lived, had an important influence

on subsequent artists, especially the German expressionists. Matisse was regarded as

the movement's leading figure.

I learned a new term recently: "Open Impressionism," which seems to be a blending of impressionism with expressionism, so perhaps mine falls in there somewhere, with fauvism sneaking in now and again!

Hey, it's better than what they're doing nowadays (2020's), literally stealing other artists' hard work, decades of training, practice and creativity, then throwing some jarring and/or ridiculous graphic, object, word or splatter on top of it and then claiming it as their own artwork! I'm sorry; call me old fashioned, but I can't accept that thief and defiler as an artist. (I have probably made some younger people quite angry here, but I believe in having a modicum of integrity in everything you do.....I'll probably have to delete this rare outraged comment for me, but it's a "burr in my bonnet" at the moment. One day, perhaps, when I am dead, I may see the value in what appears to me now a dishonest movement.)

In summary, I'm brought back to my first post about my life as wallpaper art. I try to follow the rules, stay in my lane when to not do so would adversely affect others, but I've learned to accept myself as I am... a free spirit who does not have to conform to others' expectations of me, a creative being who isn't defined by the evaluations of art critics, or other artists who would set themselves up as the definitive "say" on what is good or bad art. I live with integrity, listening to my heart mostly, and my head when necessary. I don't steal other's work or try to cut corners, but try to create authentically as the mood strikes. I am not dictated by conforming to the rules of any given art style or medium. Like my blog post "The Names People Call Me," I can be any and all descriptors, sometimes contradictory ones at the same time, and sometimes, just the free-flowing color below. I cannot, will not be boxed or labeled.

____________________

Please leave a comment! I would love it if you would scroll to the bottom to leave a little comment at the end of each blog post read to let me know how you engaged with the topic and/or artwork. (below the "Recent Posts" section) and/or click the heart button if you liked the post. Thank you!!!

Note: All artwork, stories and observations posted within should be credited to the author, Linnie Aikens Lindsay (unless cited in the post). Permission is required for any use of my words or artwork. Taken from my work, "My Life As Wallpaper Art".