Paint My Words

Welcome to Paint My Words! You can contact me (D.B Williams) with comments/questions at danielw@paintmywords.com. The Blog section of PaintMyWords.com focuses on artists reviews as well as documents the progression of my own work. If you would like to receive updates automatically via RSS you can click on the RSS link at the top of the page or enter http://www.paintmywords.com/feed in your RSS reader. A podcast feed is available through http://www.paintmywords.com/?feed=podcast or by searching for PaintMyWords in iTunes.

Artist: D.B. Williams

A rubber cut stamping of either the great white whale from Moby Dick or a teacup.  I prefer the idea of a whale.  This print was created in a Limited Edition of four. One of the stamping was accidentally stamped upside down.  Water color paint was rolled onto a rubber cut stamp.  Each color represents a subsequent pressing after cutting out the block.  The print is 18 inches by 12 inches in size on white heavyweight watercolor paper.

This work measures 12 inches by 18 inches. A tree scene is painted atop an acid stained steel plate.  This is #5 in a series of acid stained works.

Artist: D.B. Williams

 

This figure is carved from found cedar wood located in Durham, N.C. I loaded the tree trunk into my car two months ago after spotting it lying on the curb two miles from my home in a suburban neighborhood. In Ashville, I saw some cedar sculptures which changed my impression of carved wood as a medium. The artist hollowed out a 10 foot tall tree and created a double helix by further reducing the woods outer layer.  Taking off with the idea of negative space, I created this 3.5 foot form.  The sculpture is mirrored on both sides by organic shapes which frame the main form – a bust. The figure is mounted atop acid stained cement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A human form can be seen arched forward either in the process of standing up or of sitting down.  The man is composed of bound steel filled with paint encrusted coffee grounds.  He sits atop a welded hubcap base.  He is roughly 3.5 feet tall.

Artist: Gustav Klimt

Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Klimt

Commentary: I did not study art history until my college and high school years were completed. Thus, as with most “famous” artist I only learned about Gustav after seeing the works of ‘lesser” artist in galleries and museums.  Gustav work for me surpasses many contemporary and historical artists.  He was one of the first modern artist that I studied and years later, he still remains high on my list of favorites despite the fact that I have viewed thousands of works. His work is unified through a style that is distinctly his. Gustav’s subject matter normally involves human male and female figures entwined in a close embrace or landscape scenes. His work bridges the gap between impressionism and pointillism. Squares and circles of colors unify and adhere to one another forming a patchwork of brilliant color. His works are large, stunning and captivating. They would bejewel any location with their presence. I would hypothetically of course, loose a pinky finger or more to own one.

Artist: Norman Rockwell

Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Rockwell

Commentary: Norman Rockwell’s work began in the 1920’s and continued through the 1970’s. I am a child of the eighties. His work was so prolific, so consumed by American culture and so approachable that children from later generations such as myself have grown up with his images and have come to see them as part of the American cultural landscape.  His images of boy scouts engaged in manly activities are still in use today by numerous publications. His images of Rosy the Riveter are an icon of the WWII generation of American workers.  Norman Rockwell was an artist, an illustrator, and a husband. He married three times during his life and suffered from mental instability during the later stages. Through all of this, he continued to work as a full time painter.  His works reflected the stylized ideals of American life, despite the fact that his life was anything but stable or ideal. His technique especially regarding the presentation of the human form was masterful. His chosen subject matter unfortunately in most works was unappealing from an artistic sense in that he chose to portray illustrated staged scenes of idealized life rather than reality or hyper reality. Similar to Nazi wartime sponsored propaganda; Rockwell’s work straddled the line between art and artistic propaganda.  Regardless, Normal Rockwell was a masterful painter whose work has endured the test of time to date.  He has made his mark on the American art scene. His work spoke to a generation of people searching for the American Dream. Only time will tell if his work will speak so elegantly to those who view it in the future, or if it will simply be seen as a stalwart of false hope from our nations past.

Artist: Charmaine Olivia

Website: www.charbage.deviantart.com

Commentry : Charmaine Olivia portrays people and animals as her primary subject matter. Her colors are warm and soft, evocotave of water colors or light pastels.  This is a unique effect in that the works are primarily created using oil paints.  Her works are medium to small in scale, often being painted on 10 by 12 inch blocks of canvas. Her figures are realistic portrayals, slightly seductive with an emphasis on celebrating youth.  Whimsical feathers, birds or unique patterns adorn some of her works. These detailed regions of the paintings highlight the fact that Charmaine Olivia has a well honed painter’s hand. Every brushstroke is placed with a purpose. Her works are planned, however they retain a painterly quality which other realistic artist sometimes loose as the works approach photorealism.  Charmaine’s works are happy celebrations portraying the beauty in life.