Digital permits easy macros
All is transient
Beauty is everywhere
A world of surprises
I attended a thesis show back in 2005 at Marylhurst University in Portland, Oregon. I bought a photograph titled “Should We Amputate?” of a cluster of daffodils where one of the blooms has already browned. The young artist, Nova Moisa, said in her Thesis Summary that she was hoping to expand our sense of what is normal. “Socially the ideal type of person has been normalized to the extent that imperfections are categorized and often dismissed as if they were expendable to the whole… we are taught not to stare at those who are different from ourselves.” Her photographic series depicted a variety of plants and vegetables, each with a “flaw” or “disfigurement.” She says, “We notice the “abnormality” yet at the same time almost deny its existence because we’ve mentally altered the “flaw” thereby making it more palatable.” The gallery space gave us permission to stare, giving “credence to those often denied admiration, respect, or attention.” Integral to her “wabi-sabi” is her personal story. “Having a disability, I have realized the need for our society to break away… and allow the recognition… of alternative forms to exist.” She hopes viewers will question their own definition of “normal” and create more fluid boundaries, realizing that “abnormal” for the viewer may be “normal” for the one being viewed. There is 1 comment for Expanding the normal by Marie L Morgan
“Flat Coke”
watercolour painting
by Frank Nicholas
“Poetic License”
original painting
by Carol Lyons
Untitled
photograph
by Janice McDonald
“Construction/Destruction”
acrylic painting
by Tom Semmes
“Alberta Patterns”
acrylic painting
by Tatjana Mirkov-Popovicki
“Froth and Foam”
photograph
by Lynda Lehmann
“A Touch Can Mean As Much”
photograph
by Raymond St. Arnaud
“Flowers in dry grass”
photograph
by Ellen Key
Workshops with Scott Burdick
The Workshop Calendar provides up-to-date selected workshops and seminars arranged in chronological order. |
Far Out watercolour painting by Terry Greenhough, BC, Canada |
Archived Comments
Enjoy the past comments below for Retsu Wabi-Sabi…
As I was reading the above letter, it occurred to me that we might be being treated to a well-judged dose of codology. Codology is a science in itself. Not everyone is an accomplished codologist, though most of us have a bash now and again. You can experience the expert codologist in every walk of life. Codologists can be found anywhere on the planet. You may be one yourself. I certainly am, and that is an assersion rather than a confession. Have a nice day.
Oh, there is a fabulous Milwaukee based artist manes Roy Staab who takes full advantage of this in his work. His complaint, if I understand it right, is that we in Milwaukee don’t “get it”. He travels the world to do his art. It is beautiful. Here are some examples:http://www.greenmuseum.org/content/artist_index/artist_id-68.html.
“As everyone knows, I’m interested in systems that might refresh and reboot creativity.” I can see why, Robert. The more I see of your work, the more it seems formulaic. It sells well though.
I have an easy, home-made way to let myself “float”. If you are interested, you can check this entry on my blog: http://esterroi.com/blog/2010/01/my-art-studio-part-1/
While I consider your newsletters to be generally excellent, and I regularly recommend them to others, I would like to offer a little constructive criticism. With all due respect, the next time you feel you want to start a sentence with “I’m laptopping you from …” please consider that many of us a) would prefer that you stick to topics regarding the creative process, b) would appreciate being spared reminders that we have neither the time nor money to indulge in exotic jaunts around the world, and c) are not particularly interested in your personal lifestyle (sorry, but it’s true!)
I find that note taking or computer use only serves as a disconnect from the experience. The experience does not need documentation or linguistic interpretation. It just is.
No Lawrence, that’s not true – you should speak for yourself. I read letters by Mr. Genn, sent from a server paid by Mr. Genn and published on a web site paid by Mr. Genn on topics that Mr. Genn likes to write about, the way Mr. Genn likes to write…got the message??? There is endless amount of stuff on internet and thousands of newsletters available for grumpy jealous people to choose from. It should be easy for you to find what you like – unless what you like it to offend people who make their resources available to others.
When reading your post from Japan on Retsu Wabi-Sabi and it brought to mind the Tibetan practice of Miksang. Miksang means “Good eye” and in this case Good means that our mind is uncluttered by preoccupation, relaxed and open. There is a practice which applies Miksang to photography and despite the clutter in my mind this floated up and I thought this would be a good reference for all to explore.
I think Leonardo Da Vinci said it best…”As a day well spent makes sleep seem pleasant, so a life well employed makes death pleasant. A life well spent is long.” So Robert, you just keep on traveling and keep us posted on your long life well spent. :) Love it!
Your interpretation of the words wabisabi is quite different from the meaning that I learned when I lived in Japan for 10 years. I learned that it is a type of minimalism in decoration or even dress. It excludes anything that is plastic, gaudy, shiny or brightly colored. If you are staying at a ryokan, then the bamboo mats, the beige walls, the wood, the simplicity of decoration would be considered wabisabi. I find your interpretation quite imaginative, but quite confusing as well.
Wendie, had a look at Roy Staab’s art – love it. We lived for a while in south-west England, not too far from Stonehenge. I became fascinated by flint, and wonder why more is not made of it as an art material – maybe because it’s so hard? For a long time, whenever we went for a walk, I would carry home at least one stone I liked, and beside our front door I built “Flinthenge”. In the shape of a question mark, because who really knows what the henges were? I sometimes wonder if it’s still there, or if the new tenants got rid of that odd pile of stones… Lawrence, Robert has the inspiration and good will, and makes the effort, to write these inspiring letters with such reliable regularity. He doesn’t have to do it, and is not going to be around forever – treasure them while you can. They are the breath of artistic life to me, for reasons I won’t go into as I wouldn’t want to bore anyone. So he is able to visit these wonderful places and shares his experiences with us – that offends you? Good heavens. He uses laptop as a verb, but would I scold him? I wouldn’t dream of it. ;-)))
A triad of aesthetic principles “sabi”, “shibui”, and “wabi” from Japan suggest a quality found in the old, faded, aged, restrained, understated elegance, unobtrusive sophistication, harmonious, rare beauty, that causes us to celebrate the fragility of all nature. Violent tranquility? You used “retsu”, I did not understand your intent nor use (wikipedia suggests that “retsu” means “violent”) in contrast to tranquil beauty and nostalgia.
Also, as far as I know, “ma” is not a suffix or a prefix in the Japanese language. However in “Watashi wa” the ‘wa’ sets off the topic of the sentence. The particle “ga” usually indicates the subject of a sentence, but that depends on its position. It has other applications depending on where it appears. For instance, at the end of an refusal, you might see gozaimasu ‘ga’, in which case it serves to soften it. I apologize for the grammar ‘lesson’, but still, your interpretations are far more entertaining than the reality. ;-))
Oops! I just asked my Japanese friend…The word ‘ma’ is the space between things. For instance, grout is the space between tiles. Or, if the timing is good you might say “ma ji ie des” (the timing is good). So in the art world, it may refer to the spacing between the main elements in a painting. I’ve been out of Japan for more than 5 years now, so my Japanese is getting rusty. If you’ve attended a Japanese tea ceremony, the dress, the manners and the decor are usually referred to as wabisabi. “Retsu” has four different meanings depending on the Kanji used. It can mean a line-up, inferior, a crack or tear, or violent or aggressive, such as in a violent storm.
Perhaps a couple of the criticisms levelled in these replies at Robert and his art, and his methods of transmitting his writing to the world should be considered unfair. It is so rare in these letters to find such a response. Suffice it to say Robert you may laptop us from anywhere and your painting is not formulaic. That I suspect is the majority view. Such criticisms seem so much harsher within this community. This is usually the most supportive and rewarding collective of skill and knowledge anywhere. Perhaps the critics might like to simply not bother reading the letters.
Chris, you are a kind man, but you have never even sold one painting. Selling 250 per year makes it impossible not to be ‘formulaic’. And remember, at one point it was the majoriy view that the earth was flat. I enjoy most of what Robert writes, and I admire his unflagging discipline in doing so twice a week. The majority would be incapable of such an effort.
I’m of the school of thought that if you have nothing positive to say, don’t say it at all. People usually accuse the “other” of actions or traits they dislike in themselves. And that’s that. Those letters of Robert’s that I have read, have been a source of enrichment in my life. Whether his approach and mine differ, or how much we sell, or to what degree any of us are “formulaic”, are not that important. The point is that he invests a lot of time in exploring and sharing ideas with this community. And for that, we all need to thank him. Each of us finds our own accommodation, and in my mind, there’s simply no point in “labeling” people, their work, or their motivations.
I appreciate your insights Mr. Genn, as well as your courage to allow others to comment on your thoughts.
Often, one of of Mr. Genn’s missives grabs me by the shoulders and gives me a good shaking. Whether coming from his laptop in Japan or his rolling studio perched on the side of a mountain or tapped from his living room makes no difference, as the insights shared are always of value on some level of need. Currently, my work is schlumping, creatively speaking. That’s okay as I think creative slumps are part of the process, but I digress. I adored Robert’s missive on Retsu Wabi-Sabi and offer this as my take on the process. Morning walks and what one sees and one’s take on it. This is a bit of Retsu Wabi-Sabi as I now think of it from my blog, gosh, a couple years ago. How fun that I can now put a name to what I naturally do! One more thing learned. Thanks, Mr. Genn. http://giraffeheadtree.blogspot.com/2008/12/impressions.html
Digital Wabi Sabi! I love it! And Jessica Wesolek teaches an on line course in it — but she calls it Guerilla Photography. The concept is is keep your iphone or point and shoot camera with you at all times and capture those fleeting moments that catch your eye — I think this must be Ma! Another example of how the same creative spirit flows through different cultures and is expressed in a myriad of ways by each artist. I also like the idea of less is more and not over working a piece — now if I can just find that sweet spot and know when to stop!
It’s hard for any of us to accurately reflect tone with written words. I posted what I felt was some respectful feedback, prefaced by stating that I felt these newsletters were not only excellent but worthy of recommendation. Many of you concluded that I was offended in some way, and took my post as a pissy negative attack. Come on people! Read the whole post before you launch into your counter attack! Same thing for Thierry. He doesn’t have the right to call Genn’s work formulaic? You can agree or disagree with his conclusion, but Genn is almost baiting us by stating that he uses systems as part of the creative process. I would be surprised if someone of Genn’s intelligence wasn’t at least a little disappointed that more of you didn’t challenge him. The honest exchange of ideas is the whole point in having people leave comments. Both Thierry and I left respectful, intelligent comments and were attacked for doing so. Yet we are both members of this community, and we value it. Any community should have the means to accommodate different views.
Retsu Wabi-Sabi – I recall seeing architect students at the university I attended doing the same thing as part of a design assignment 50 years ago. They had to take a series of photos, very close up, of everyday objects and arrangements looking for the inherent ‘design’ in them. It brought home the idea of looking closely at nature, to look at things differently from their ‘normal’ state. And, this was before digital photos were even a thought in some inventor’s brain.
I’ve just subscribed to the weekly letter and have been reading a few older ones. I’ve already learnt some interesting and useful things. My medium is traditional Japanese embroidery. In old pieces we often see a motif with a blemish of some kind, I had not idea this could be a form of wabi-sabi – so interesting. I look forward to reading more.