The Artwork of Lisa Vincenzo

For those of you who have seen or read this preview review sent out by the NCLAG, just skip to the second part….

Part One (Written as a pre-review of her work a few weeks ago….)

For an artist, the ability to make spontaneous markings is an essential skill. The gift to have them be successful is rare. Most of our sketchbooks and scribbles, are just that, notes for future reference.  Sometimes we happen upon a doodle that “works”, it exists on the page as a complete image, possessing all the elements of a quality piece.  Those pages are a treat. An artist soon to be showing at the North Canton Little Art Gallery has that gift of successful spontaneous imagery and not just in one media, but in several. Lisa Vincenzo records moments in time. I mentioned her work in my review of the recent May Show and come to find that she is not a “new” artist in the sense of being a younger member of our community, but a woman of about my age that just did not see any reason to put her work out there for us to enjoy. With some mentoring and encouragement by gallery director Elizabeth Blakemore, we will get the opportunity to peer into her sketchbooks.

The pieces I have seen are not literally pages from a sketchbook so don’t be expecting rough edges or torn out pages as some of her works are created digitally using an I-pad. Now you all know how I feel about the use of such devices to create artwork, but sometimes one must step back from personal bias (probably from ignorance and envy more than anything) and see the hand of artist.

Other pieces are traditional ink and wash (and drawing media) on paper, with all the raw, fresh, bold markings of a skilled observer.  Her study of horses is not the typical delicate record of the head often seen by those who choose that subject. Her drawing records the mass and movement of these animals with thick lines and jagged edges, a wash of toned ink causing other marks to bleed, forcing one of the animals into the background. The final result does not feel planned which is what makes it so beautiful. A second ink drawing of four women playing violins captures a distinct personality in each one of the ladies. To do that quickly and without marks of hesitation is very difficult. Once again her use of the space on the page is instinctual and intriguing as one senses the depth of the scene and the drama of their interaction.  Can you tell I am impressed? Yes, I get judgmental because I am old school… the ability to draw is still my personal yardstick for those who “can and are” and those who “want to be and really aren’t”.  There are natural born artists, there are those who make art, and there those who make stuff.  Sure, drawing can be taught, but drawing from life and doing it well, cannot. You either got it or you don’t. Lisa Vincenzo has got “it”. 

The pieces where she adds color to her washes are just as fresh. Too often artists will apply layer upon layer of wash and loose the crispness of the markings and disregard the effect of the paper underneath. Her washes are thin, allowing colors to bleed in some areas while building a weave of markings in others. The bones of her piece in the form of an ink sketch remains on view most of the time, guiding the location of her washes. The application of a single brushstroke full of color, defining a shape just once and not to be altered again shows a masterful knowledge of the media. No pencil lines guide her, no added pieces of paper or materials force the paint to do something else, she just lays down her scene and moves on.

I only got to preview one piece of her digital work but found no real difference between how she uses a brush and how she uses her fingers. The markings are the same, only how the machine makes color and line appear on paper are different. The use of shapes and space as well as the essence of good composition are all present, it is the final presentation which changes to a more commercial appearance, much like the silk screens of pop art. The final result is almost a Matisse like rendering. I have to say I like it because the image is not “flat”, it is still “sketchy”.  Seems I may have to find some new words to define how digital drawings are described, the future is upon me and I just have to get used to it.

Overall, I am excited about this upcoming show. Once her work is seen by others I am sure she will feel confident enough to start entering more shows and selling her pieces.

Part Two (After viewing the actual work currently on exhibition at the North Canton Little Art Gallery….)          

Seeing the works in person is necessary to fully appreciate their delicate and direct markings for they are even more stunning in context of scale and visual gradation, something not attainable by viewing only digital images. Techniques I did not get to preview such as the Haunted Kitties Series is simply amazing. Despite what I said in the preview review, many of the pieces on view actually were taken directly from her sketchbooks and framed for this show. Lisa is not completely comfortable with sharing her work so Gallery Director Elizabeth Blakemore went above and beyond in her mentoring and preparation for this exhibition by the time all was said and done. Less NFS and more $ would be nice, but not everyone is ready to part with their own souls.

I want to highlight a few pieces here and point out that "little gem of mark" which raises the bar on what is considered spontaneous sketching. Start with “Airport”, an India ink drawing of people waiting for a plane. Two things to note are the unconnected neckline of a figure in the upper left and the shape of an old man’s profile in the lower right. 99% of us would probably have connected the neckline so as to anchor the head, which currently floats, but such a line would have been unnecessary and end up overworking the gesture. The profile of the man in the foreground is simply filled in as a dark shadow, forcing the viewer’s eye back into the picture frame. Her drawing of the line to contain the shape and shadow has no hesitation marks. None of her work has any hesitation marks which is truly amazing.

“Rain Storm / Green Sea Ocean” is a pencil sketch which uses quite a bit of pressure changes on the pencil itself to create depth and tonality. A technique difficult to teach, one has the innate understanding to do this, or they don’t. The male figure in the lower left could be right out of a Manet painting.  “Spirit Horse” is a watercolor that if untitled, would be a bit ambivalent, but with the title the viewer is drawn into the shapes, and the spaces they create, by the use of the media itself. How or where one sees a horse, if it so exists at all, is irrelevant really as this work should prove to those reluctant ones out there why we as artists should not leave works untitled. A view pieces to spend time upon as well are “Midas Breaks Free” and “Woman with Red Umbrella”.

Media used include lithograph, charcoal, conte, pencil, watercolor, India ink and I-pad. The majority of the pieces are current within the last three years but a few from the late 80’s and mid 90’s are included which further prove that her marking is a natural gift as it does not vary all that much by the passage of time.

Overall, this show is not to be.missed as I don’t know when or if Lisa Vincenzo will ever allow us to view her work this way again. Meanwhile, I will share a vintage sketch of my own from decades past. I have kept all my sketchbooks since childhood. Won't my kids be happy about that!

Judi Cooke sketchbook drawing circa 1978 - magic marker

Where have all the good ones gone?

It was brought to my attention that I have been a bit remiss in my blogging duties. True, the published ones have been few and far between as of late, but dozens of them have gone through my semi-consciousness over the past few months. That time of the morning known as the golden hour. The older you get, the more you will relate.

I am not referring to the pre sunrise haze in the sky, nope, the golden hour of creative thinking occurs while it is still dark. That time of the night/morning when you wake up, all snug and comfy having finally gotten the pillow just right and the cat’s butt out of your face. That time when all is quiet and some inaccessible dream has inspired all kinds of project ideas from somewhere deep in your subconscious being….  I start “writing” in my head, all kinds of really good stuff that ……and then it hits you as to why you woke up… and the debate begins. Can I wait? It is only an hour until the alarm goes off…. If I go back to sleep then I won’t be aware …. Rats, nope. Unless one stops taking in fluids after 6pm like a little kid, one will have to get up.  That means every so carefully crawling over the cat. If one wakes the cat, then she thinks it is time to eat and will not stop howling for the next hour, tail hitting you in the face. Don’t disturb the cat.

A careful somewhat yoga inspired dance begins so as to not make any movement or noise.  The level of concentration needed only makes things worse… and more urgent. All creative thoughts are gone.  If one is successful in the adventure at hand however, then normal slumber activities can be resumed. Careful crawling commences in reverse. A quick glance at the clock shows an hour of precious sleep remains. Then you see it….the shine of the one cat eye staring right at yours, watching….she knows you are awake. It squints in question…am I getting up or not she wonders. Fake sleeping begins. The cat is fooled for now, or too lazy to get up either, having already had a visit to the litter box earlier, so no urgent need to get going. But what of all those great ideas I had?  Painting titles and show comments, social observations and fashion hints, all lost to the golden hour. The logical thing to do is to keep a pad and pen by the bedside and write stuff down as it jackhammers through my brain. All well and good if one could see without help or write with one arm and hand perpetually asleep in a state of pins and needles. Both conditions just another aspect of getting older.

Sometimes I think I posted a commentary only to find that it is still in my documents file, now too late to be of any relevance. Sometimes I head out the door with good intentions to see a show and end up solving a problem or running an errand for someone else, maybe the change oil light won’t stop dinging or a forgotten deadline suddenly cycles back through the cerebellum just in time to be met. Whatever the excuse, it should not be used. It is my own fault. So too do many of those golden hour ideas  get through the morning mist and remain on the brain inspiring me to change course for the day. The curse of the creative mind I suppose. Wouldn’t that make a great horror movie title? “Curse of the Creative Mind!”

Perhaps with my taking classes again this fall (required by the State of OH for my license renewal again….) I shall be more disciplined to sit down and write real words that you all can see. I actually saw a wonderful show yesterday and will get that posting out in due time……scouts honor.

Su Nimon at Journey Art Gallery - Anniversary Show

Sea bird on the ocean shore...

Dreams. We all have them. Not all of us go after them. Su Nimon chose to go after hers and is celebrating that decision with a One Year Anniversary Show at Journey Art Gallery on the corner of 4^th and McKinley in the Canton Arts District. Journey Art Gallery is her baby, her vision, her dream and it was brought to life with the help of Jeff Dreyer, Mac Worthington and many others that said “yes, you can make this happen.”  The journey towards Journey was a lot longer than 12 months, it began probably a year or so before the doors opened at all.  I was sad when she left her old space across from me. She was like the one birdie that leaps from the nest and figures there is only one way to go….and if that is not true, well……it might hurt for awhile, but bouncing is always an option. She flew.

Running a gallery does not leave much time to make artwork so I applaud her decision to make the anniversary show all about her. The feature wall is full of new Nimons. The adjacent classroom still has some of her earlier works on the walls and it was fun to see how much personal growth has taken place in regard to the imagery and markings.

The main gallery area is exhibiting 23 works in various sizes and groups, some done as a series and others as stand-alone concepts. The tangibles of yoga and music are her sources of inspiration as well as the intangible of personal growth, inner peace and spirituality.  Yellows, oranges and blues are a dominant color pallet now and a wider range of colors appear overall then in her earlier works. Being surrounded all day by the vibrant artworks featured in Journey has probably contributed to this aspect. The heavy impasto swirls still show up but so too do more amorphic staining and manipulation of the media done without a brush. “Go with the Flow” is an example of this new process. It is not all that complicated to do, but knowing when to stop the movement and avoid over saturation and layering is more difficult than one thinks. It is similar to working in wet on wet watercolors where control is not always an attainable goal. The final result can be read as an ariel view of a riverbed or perhaps whatever one wishes to see ala Rorschach.

Two pieces I want to mention specifically so that anyone who stops by will see in them what Su did not in her own work. “Seek Peace in the Balance” is a square format piece with one black raven and one ghostly type raven. Sure to sell, it incorporates the impasto swirl of past pieces, but this time there is added depth to her birds through the use of added colors and tones that overlay the higher parts of the painted surface. Follow the blue cast on the dark raven and it will lead your eye up and around the swirl then back into the darker tones of the ghostly bird so the flow is towards the inner glowing center, not around in a circle. This happenstance is not intentional, it is instinctual and quite obvious when pointed out. To try and make that flow work purposefully would make the markings appear forced and the swirl become compressed by hesitation. All who were present at the opening were drawn to this piece first. It is a painting created by a hand that wants to “paint”, not make a picture.

The second piece to point out is also the last one go on the wall as it was still “not finished’ when time ran out. Do you catch that irony? The piece is entitled “Journey On” Do you see the connection? The last piece is symbolic that her own journey and the gallery itself are an ongoing dream. There should not be any “finish” to what we want in life, to where we want to go and what we want to make happen. The artwork itself is primarily the pour and flow fluid layering of color with additional abstracted elements included to give a bit of representation of “something” for those who don’t like the whole abstraction thing. Some folks just have to see something they can hold onto in a painting or it will not hold their interest. Leaf forms fulfill that role this time. But I gravitated to what I thought were bones only to find the creation of those shapes just as unintentional as the raven swirl phenomenon. Here I was all ready to go with additional subliminal messaging of how the gallery is also the body and soul of her now etc. but….hey, just go with that impression because it works even if it was not supposed to be about that.

The new works in this show are grouped by technique for the most part, with some available either individually or as a group such as “Flowers for Andy”.  Three 8 x 8 canvases, three colors, three flowers….but I bet you will think there are more used because of the optical illusion of the distribution and arrangement that sometimes happens with repetitive imagery. I had to count to be sure I was seeing only three (no, the little chalk like marks don’t count.). On the display table nearby, one piece pays homage to her Love Notes series and is entitled “I love the moon too much” with the text incorporated as part of the piece.

The whole JAG team is to be commended for working so hard to bring this anchor gallery to fruition. There are still many dreams to be followed and many dreams to fill. Some are simple…like, “gee I wish I had an umbrella to get to my car” and others are not, but I wish them all much success as the Journey begins for year number two.