November UPDATE!

Things have been coming along nicely. I will admit that my patience have been tried a few times with the tediousness of the process of working with the city and other people, really.  So while all my proposals, grants, fellowships sort themselves out, I have been in the studio painting away!

Recently have been working on a few paintings that have been difficult for me to finish, getting feedback from my crit group as I type this and had an excellent skype meeting with Andrew about it as well.  Feeling better about those, but have been using the Rooted in RED symbol as the subject of the painting, in a design my itself etc.  I was finding that the design aspect turned into more of a color by number and allowing the symbol to become abstract and even more basic allowing the pigment to really be the subject is where I am headed now!

Since my last critique I have also beefed up my Rooted in RED website and found a comfortable schedule in posting that is making me crazy and always on the computer! ha!
http://www.rootedinred.blogspot.com/

Here is a link of the paintings that I have finished up last week.
http://www.rootedinred.blogspot.com/2015_10_01_archive.html

Below are what I have been working on the past few days!  In progress!

raw red ochre pigment, acrylic, gesso on canvas  5'x6.5'

raw red ochre pigment, red dye #5   8"x20"

Red dye #5, raw red ochre pigment   12"x20"

Testing the reaction of these two dry pigments with water. 

Starting to weave a painting.  I soaked strips of canvas in red dye #5 and painted with raw red ochre pigment on a sheet of cut canvas.  Waiting for layers to dry before I weave them together.  Looking forward to seeing how I can play with this one!

I have been reading two book on Ojibwe culture that I ended up buying, because they are so wonderful.  Both are more on the overall traditions of the Ojibwe culture.  I am feeling the need to know as much as I can to verify my actions with this project still.  The question is how much am I find out, versus digging into my own thoughts.   Its my work, my perception, I need to remember that.  Overall, things are good.  Searching for a venue for my MFA show and figuring out Berlin needs too!

Advisors meeting with Andrew!

We both wore red again!!!!  It just seems appropriate:)
I have been having issues specifically with two paintings, painting in more of an advertising/ marketing way.  Not really allowing what I do naturally to surface, but hiding it under geometric coloring shapes.  I talked to Andrew about these paintings and our conversation was extremely helpful!  Addressing just putting these paintings aside and allowing them to show their own path in their own time.  We also talked about 'messing it up' and then having to deal with the consequence, building the painting from those results.  The two paintings were having issues with space we finally decided.  There is no depth.

We discussed the work of Joyce Kozloff, with her pattern and decoration style work in relation to using my symbol in my work as the subject.  Mark Rothko came up a bunch as well when we discussed how size does matter!  Having a painting overwhelm and take over your space is what Rothko accomplishes with his soft edges of radiating color.  It would not emanate as much if it were only 2'x2'.   Andrew sent multiple links to Rothko work including the play "RED" which I can not wait to find more footage of, and a link to Kozloffs stuff as well.

I got off skype with Andrew definitely not feeling defeated anymore!  Thanks Coach!