Who are we? We are our stories. We are our pictures

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Chief Joseph




My brother-in-law and friend, Kurt sent some photos of watercolors I did for him 30 years ago. As I recall, this one is fairly large, about life-size, done with sepia watercolor. A photo of a painting of a photo. It was an exercise, one color painted with one brush. I haven't done any painting for 25 years and we don't have any ourselves. They are scattered here and there with friends, relatives and occasionally strangers. Somehow it seems wrong to have them living with strangers, but there were times I needed the money more than the pictures. Maybe it's time to paint a few more before my eyes leave entirely.

Thanks to Kurt for a new shot that picks up the colors more accurately.

6 comments:

gabriel said...

yes, i think it is time. I would be really interested in what you would choose to paint and how you would approach it now.


Never could handle watercolors, far more difficult for me than all the other painting mediums.

Margadant said...

By all means, climb back on that horse. Sparse Gray Hackle, snatched for a song out of the window of Bud's real estate office on Clark Street, has been my office-mate throughout my law dog days and now gazes down at me in the Sierra Club office. Sparse Grey will need a friend one of these days; my kid stole the other water color you did and won't give it back.

Butch said...

Thank you for this, Gunnar. I'm stunned by your mix of verbal and visual; both hemispheres at work. Are you ambidextrous? ...or were you as a kid? Was your mother left-handed?

Gunnar Berg said...

Hey Butch,
Ya want me to throw music into the mix too? Ambidextrous? Naw, I can paint or draw with both hands, but that's more of a visual memory, visualization gift than a hand control issue I think.

Butch said...

RE: Music - You can likely keep track of multiple instruments in complex music without thinking about it too much - that's the same place these spatially rich paintings come from (right hemisphere for sure - maybe left hand). Strong drumbeats and simple music turn off that hemisphere and opinions, accounting/values, and words kick in through the left hemisphere. Strong left hemisphere people look at one of your paintings and SAY 'wow, that's beautiful.' Stronger right hemisphere people look at your paintings and THINK 'an image,' without words/critique. The person who traded the painting for a six-pack maybe/likely needed to fill the gap with a venue for his other hemisphere. Enough, many thanks for posting your paintings. Butch

c.a.ricco said...

if it's any consolation...in my early forties my eyes are beginning to be less than perfect and I think I am starting to make my strongest work....I look forward to seeing what may come