ArtSpirit7

A Hero in an Urban Fantasy

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Have you found that there’s a lot that local recycling isn’t accepting?

What to do?

Here is a modern day Unsung Hero worth knowing about.

What?

Bricks from the plastic that usually goes in the trash?

A few years ago I wrote an urban fantasy essay about taking plastics normally headed for the garbage to a central place. There those plastics would be turned itno objects we use in our everyday lives.

Someone has invented a way to actually do this.

Thank you Nzambi Matee!!

Create Mathi-Magical Shapes

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Need to make shapes? This site has a whole bunch! Check out the polypad tool at https://mathigon.com !! Directly below is the shapes I then digitally manipulated in PhotoShop, and below that is the original collection of shapes.

Digital revision of the original image, by Mary Gow.

Digital manipulation of the original image below, both by Mary Gow Pincus.

geometric shape composition by Mary Gow Pincus

Shape composition using mathigon.com, polypad tool.

Beneath Our Feet

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Photo by Mary Gow

Floor Studies, Photo No. 5, by Mary Gow

Continuing with the inspiration from Tyler Mitchell’s MasterClass, “Tyler Mitchell Teaches Storytelling Through Portrait Photography,” I took this photo looking at the living room floor. What you see when you look at your floor? In my July posting I mentioned Mitchell’s recommendation to take pictures every day. Observe the floor beneath our feet — that’s do-able.

Wabi-Sabi-ish Painting

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Pink Watercolor by Mary Gow

“Wabi Pink,” watercolor on paper by Mary Gow.


Recently I took “Wabi Sabi Abstract Painting” with Sherrie Lovler. (A few years ago I took a two day class with Sherrie called “Calligraphic Abstraction,” in person, in Sebastopol, Calif.). This Wabi Sabi class was virtual thanks to the O’Hanlon Center For The Arts in Mill Valley, Calif. The whole class description is here.

I might already be painting wabi-sabi style and not know it. Going with the flow and relaxing into what is – is that what wabi-sabi is about?

After some research I found out wabi-sabi is about finding beauty in every aspect of imperfection. Perfectly imperfect.

Could spontaneous, automatic, gestural painting also be synonymous with wabi-sabi?

In the class we reviewed what wabi-sabi art is. We practiced painting the enso – fluid circles early in the class. With Sherrie leading the way with suggestions on starting our paintings, we went through the exercise of creating a few compositions.

This pink purple exploration is what flowed yesterday morning.

Here’s one piece I created in Sherrie’s class.

Mary Gow- Wabi-Sabi-Painting-2021

Wabi-Sabi Painting by Mary Gow

At times I found myself ‘working at” creating something to look naturally at ease without trying. I made a few examples of pieces I wanted to share with the class that I felt were truly wabi-sabi — many I felt were my explorations ink brush work. . . which I loved.

My natural artistic painting style is to go with the flow of what I’m feeling. . . enjoy the process more than fixate on what the end must look like.