Painting isn’t everything. And it’s certainly not the only thing. (Apologies to Vince Lombardi.) The other part of being a visual artist, at least an artist who wants to show her work, is the part that involves not paint, but a screwdriver, tape measure, possibly pliers, wirecutters and a certain level of patience. This is the “putting on the hardware” part – D-rings and hanging … Continue reading The “hardware part” of art
“Summer was past and the day was past.Sombre clouds in the west were massed.” Robert Frost’s poignant poem, “Bereft” includes these lines, and they came to mind today, although in this case: “Winter was past and the cold was past. Fluffy clouds in the west were massed.” Spring has come, and with it the flowers of the season, the budding branches, the greening grass, the … Continue reading A Wild and Precious Life
And so it begins. Plato is rumored to have said (who knows who really said what back in the day?) that “The beginning is the most important part of the work.” Whether he said this or not, I have long believed it. It’s the first stroke on the canvas, the first words in a piece of writing, the first notes of a new composition, the … Continue reading Plato Had It Right
“Life is short, art long, opportunity fleeting, experience treacherous, judgement difficult.” — Hippocrates (460-400 B.C.) As the King of Siam once sang, “It’s a puzzlement!” I’ve worked my way through “puzzlements” in the past, but this one is so close to my heart that I’ve had more difficulty. I’m a born entrepreneur. Over the years, I have started and run several businesses. When other kids … Continue reading Life Is Short, Art Long
Abstract expressionist artists so often have a hard time explaining what they do when they’re asked the larger-than-large questions: What’s it about? or What does it mean? Or why did you call it that? We have little to anchor our work back to whatever reality exists (I’m a skeptic about reality), and we work in a more or less constant state of mystery. Sometimes the … Continue reading Notice What You Notice
Some Other Timecopyright, 2021 Molly Larson Cook30″ x 24″Acrylic paint, latex/acrylic paint and ink on gallery-wrapped canvasAvailable “Manet did not do the expected. He was a pioneer. He followed his individual whim. Told the public what he wanted it to know, not the time-worn things the public already knew and thought it wanted to hear again. The public was very much offended.” — Robert Henri, … Continue reading Beauty, Balance and Order in the Age of Instagram
“Take the A Train” The Colors of Jazz Collection ©2021, Molly Larson Cook 28″ x 22″ Acrylic on canvas $600 “Water runs down hill concisely. There is no quibbling about it. It does not have to run up hill in order to be entertaining…. The soul of a person may reveal its mysteries through direct expression, simple speech, simple gesture, simple painting, just as … Continue reading Be the Brook – Concise, Simple, Clear, Running Down Hill
Sunny Side of the Street ©2021, Molly Larson Cook30 x 24, acrylic$800 Charlie Parker: “They teach you there’s a boundary line to music. But, man, there’s no boundary line to art.” I write this with snow falling just outside my window. It’s a lovely sight – peaceful and clean and quiet. But it’s chilly. There’s no sunshine today and perhaps not tomorrow. Still, a snow day … Continue reading No Boundary Line to Art
Raoul Dufy painted maritime and racing scenes. Vincent Van Gogh painted starry nights and irises. Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa. Remembering the Rain 2019 24 x 18 I paint jazz. I’ve turned to my old friends Bayles and Orland, Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking, for guidance as I try to understand the quick change from a switch to painting … Continue reading It’s Okay to Change Your Mind
Work in progress…Map of the Far Horizon “Do they still make, even sell, paper maps?” That question from retired New York marketing executive Michael Lissauer is emblematic of our daily reliance on digital navigation. “Other than in a history class, Europe before World War II, who needs a paper map?” My answer to Mr. Lissauer’s question is, “Me. I need a paper map.” I don’t … Continue reading The Art in the Map
Art and Tulips 