Travelling in Blue Stone

If Lee Krasner's Blue Stone were a place, it would be......

Macau!

Macau is a jumble of cultures and buildings with everything built organically. It seems that city planning was not a priority! It reminds me of Blue Stone because it's a mess of architecture, plant life, hanging laundry, and, now, casinos. The city was built and created as peoples' needs came about; it was automatic, a gesture. I see that as a comparison to Krasner's abstract expressionist work, automatic and gestural.

Lee Krasner's Blue Stone

Ipad rendering of Lee Krasner's Blue Stone

Lee Krasner is so amazing. She was a strong woman who had a turbulent marriage with the powerful artist, Jackson Pollock and she didn't let that take over her work. Of course she was very influenced by her husband, but her work is still very individual and all her own. A true Abstract Expressionist, Krasner's gestural works are so dramatic and emotional. She worked in paint, on paper, and with collage. The above piece is a lithograph.

Helen Frankenthaler's Message from Degas

Ipad Rendering  of Helen Frankenthaler's Message from Degas

A painting by the wonderful Helen Frankenthaler. She was an Abstract Expressionist who specialized in Color Field painting. Her work is so beautiful and thoughtful. My attraction to her work is in it's similarities to watercolor paintings. She uses oil paint in a very fluid way. She began a new technique where she would stain the unprimed canvas by pouring paint on it, allowing the canvas to soak it in. What a fun way to paint!