Hitchcock
I only started watching Hitchcock movies as an adult. I watched To Catch a Thief in my twenties because I saw a reference in a book. I believe I was in my thirties when I saw Psycho, Vertigo, Notorious, and The Birds. I know I was in my forties when I saw Rope, Strangers on a Train, Dial M for Murder, and Rear Window. And it was only this year that I saw North by Northwest.
Watching Hitchcock movies is confusing. Between the anachronisms, stylization, and later copies, sometimes I don’t understand what I’m looking at; the language Hitchcock was working with has vanished, and I am left to go to Wikipedia to figure out what just happened. Sometimes the most basic things puzzle me. In Rear Window, the lead is James Stewart (born 1908). His romantic interest is Grace Kelly (born 1929). It took me about half the movie to figure out they were romantically involved.
I’ve been wanting to get that off my chest. And though the following art has nothing to do with Hitchcock, I think the post of this title is apt.
Theme
I’m not sure why I get going on a topic. I’ve heard the phenomenon called following the red thread. I don’t feel that poetic, but I’ll share I aspire to to be.
A few days ago, I decided EXACTLY how I wanted to paint the long-eared owls I photographed in 2021.
Now, as I’m sure you all know, just because I figured out how to do something doesn’t automatically mean that I can do it.
I started with a webbing pour using raw umber, burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, and Jaune Brilliant.
Perfect. I took a chance and decided to leave it as a full sheet and painted.
And of course, I wasn’t happy.
A week of pouting ensued.
Today I decided to tackle the things that I knew were wrong.
The title is “Nothing to See Here”. I’m not done. But I’m not sure what the next step is.
Continuing on the theme
With the webbing out, I decided to do a second pour.
Pretty.
Here’s the problem with pretty starts… I never want to finish them.
So, when I was working at the Pacific Artists’ Co-Op Gallery on Wednesday, I started doodling.
When I got home and did some digital combinations, this doodle morphed into a raptor. Then a peregrine falcon. I decided to keep with the theme and do another full sheet.
Of course, now I’m stuck again.
Return to concept
All of this inspired me to return to a 2022 painting (The Messenger).
I have continued to love this painting in the last four years, but it is a painting associated with my 2022 breakdown, and it has been difficult to return to. But, inspired by all these other full sheet webbing started paintings, I have!
It’s not finished, but I’ve hit another stopped point.
All this productivity comes at a good time. February 1 will be the Western Fed and the Watercolor Society of Oregon deadlines.
Other works
The quarterly gallery turnover is upon me, and I spent significant time this week deciding what would go to the gallery, what would be returned, and trashing the house in the process. The cats love this. Me… not so much.
One thing that will go is this new painting: New Year’s Day at Grandma’s Kitchen Table.
We’re having a little 12 x 12 show at the gallery during January. The theme was warm colors.
I also took these paintings to the gallery.
And more birds
Finally, at the last possible moment, I saw the Cascade Raptor Center was having a call to artists and decided to paint and enter something. (Come to think of it, that is probably why I’m on this kick. Ohhhhhhhhh…)
Anyway, I painted this piece.
We’ll see what happens.
I really have been unusually productive the last couple weeks, and I feel like there are other paintings lurking around that I haven’t shared. But these are the ones on my worktable today.