Clarity

 If I Gain Clarity I will let You Know

The need to create

 is not always clear

Sometimes what one creates

is not always clear

I have a strong need or desire 

to create

to make things that are not clear 

and that look like no identifiable object or image

I am looking through the abstract

for something I might recognize

Yet I have no idea what I am looking for

It is one of those

I will know it when I find it 

moments

For now I just enjoy the process

and I hope others enjoy the product

I will let you know 

when I gain clarity

jeffkimsey-carroll.com

Caught Up In It!

Eye See

I keep finding myself

caught in the movement

of line and color.

Sometimes I define myself as the line,

probably a control thing.

The color seems so out of control.

Is it the line that defines the color

or does the color simply allow the line

a place to be?

The color says, "sure, outline me, 

run lines through me, 

shade me in, 

you can even black me out!"

The color does not care.

The color knows it is there

and in control,

I think.

Still caught up in it 

so I don't really know

what's going on.

Random thought brought to you by art play.

jeffkimsey-carroll.com

A Life Principal

I am not buying that

When I was young I played with dirt, rocks, sticks and sand

and I made worlds for my plastic animals and cars to dwell.

It was all called play, but at the time I worked at making the worlds 

a little bit better each time I engaged in the activity.

I think I can say that this is where my passion for building and creating

began: the sandbox.

The computer age was a whole new sandbox or place to play.

I have spent many hours exploring its applications to music, sound,

video and photography. The image above is a combination of two 

photographs. They are colorized, layered, cropped, smeared and had 

different filters added to them. I did this time and time again. The 

thought I keep coming to is, was this work or play? If I ever sell this 

image it becomes labeled as work, because I made a profit. As it lives 

here in the computer world (never having been printed) can it be called 

artwork or is it artplay? Even my computer spell check recognizes the 

word artwork but not artplay. I just added it to my dictionary. I will be 

contacting Mr. Webster. 

My whole struggle is play gets a bad rap. I see play as the foundation 

or starting point of work. You play with something until you build enough 

skill to consider it work. Then the word practice enters in. So maybe the 

life progression is play, practice, work. I guess what I am advocating for 

is a life long continual return to play. I believe it is important for the 

grown-up community to constantly find new experiences of play.

Life principal #(not yet established) - Find new materials to play with 

in a non-competitive manner. An activity that brings you joy with no 

specific result. That is Play.

jeffkimsey-carroll.com

 

Found This Today

 This is my drawing

and this is my photo

I layered them together

some time ago

I have no memory of doing this

but I found it today

I like it

Thought:

I am letting go the structure

that has held me strong.

There is truer strength

in a yellow flower dancing 

in the meadow's breeze

jeffkimsey-carroll.com

In The Play

The Art Is In The Play

I created this activity for my exhibit The Art of Play the Play of Art. The purpose is for art gallery visitors to have opportunities for direct contact with a piece of artwork. The piece in this case was sculptural in nature. As a mixed medium sculpture it involved a variety of painted wood shapes, fabric, artificial foliage, wire, string, yarn, bamboo rods, paper and a variety of fasteners. Visitors were invited to look at what had been created previously and change it in some way. Many guests had to be convinced that it was alright to make these changes and that the structure was not the art, but that their engagement with the objects was actually the art. One woman said she was filled with emotion at the idea that in an art gallery she could do such a thing. She loved the opportunity and spent a significant amount of time rearranging the space. 

I know it is important for persons who toil as artists to be recognized for their craft. I also want all people to experience and embrace artful moments that energize their living and draw us all closer together. This concept is an important aspect of what the arts are all about.

jeffkimsey-carroll.com

The people in artful moments

 

Finding Faces

Going Around and Coming Around

When I draw line

I tend to start to see faces.

Some faces I see right away,

Some not until I am done.

Most of the time it is a profile.

Then I add eyes or mouth and nose lines to draw out the character.

This piece seems to have about nine faces or profiles.

See if you find more.

This is a mixed media piece. It started with the leaf-like shapes in the center cut from art paper. They were glued on with clear paint and the water colors washed in around them. I then set to work creating the lines and discovering faces.

jeffkimsey-carroll.com

Click image to enlarge

Somewhere

 

I left it somewhere.

The question is 

which somewhere?

There are so many

somewheres!

In fact everywhere

is a potential somewhere.

It is in a "where" that

something can always be.

Once something can

be there

it is a somewhere.

Above is a picture 

of about 100

different somewheres

and things being there.

This whole thing is pointless

but I like the picture

and had to put it

somewhere. 

jeffkimsey-carroll.com

The Place I Was Before

 

Trying

maybe if I go around this way

to get back

no I need to loop under there

to the place

I gotta drop down and slide under

I was before

Remember

we just go down here and turn left

the time

jump up and over and drop down

we forgot

If you bend down you should fit through

the way home

Realize

Leap over this and slide down under there

you are where

There were two rights then a left, I think

you need

You are just going to need to let go and jump

to be

Image title: "Trying to get back to the place I was before"

jeffkimsey-carroll.com

Dimensional Rift or Cracks in the Wall

Have you ever looked at a crack in the wall

and wondered if a life form from another dimension was pushing on the wall causing it to crack?

Okay, then you are probably more stable than me.

That is where this sculpture comes from; that kind of imagining.

Something I made up while looking at the sculpture:

The Crack

Shh, I just heard a tick, or more like a teenk

It just came from that crack, I mean that's what I think

do you hear a humming, or is that in my head

perhaps it's a buzzing that I am hearing instead

Is the crack getting bigger

was it always that long

I am going to stand behind you

and I need you to tell me I am wrong

Now I hear talking or maybe it's singing

Yes the buzzing has stopped, but now it's a ringing

This crack is distracting

I have given it too much control

I am putting it out of my mind

Wait, could it become a hole?

jeffkimsey-carroll.com

No One Thing

I am here

and there

approaching from every direction

I am circle

and square

and have randomly placed selection

so that you have no true idea

of my intent

for it is no way sane 

this world I represent

take it

crumple it 

or do nothing with it at all

or smooth it

and frame it

and hang it on your wall

I call this Image "no one thing"

cause i wrote those words on it 

(the one red spot)

when I was creating it.

Not sure why. The poem came from

trying to explain the piece.

jeffkimsey-carroll.com

 

Play

 Play 

an activity that brings you joy and has no particular result!

Play 

arrange it one way, then another way. both ways work.

Play 

you have an idea and I have an idea then we blend them together and find joy.

Play

The Art Of Play

Right Now

 June 2020

"Right Now"

is the painting's name

It's a brain dump

just marks, shapes and faces

like free writing

with paint and paint pens

jeffkimsey-carroll.com

Click the painting to enlarge

Characters in The Room

 I was in this room

filled with others

waiting for something;

feel like I find these rooms a lot

As I wait

I imagine I can see myself

through the eyes of the others

in the room

Of course they are always amazed

I mean come on, it's me

I have been playing this role my whole life

I am really good at being me

Then they look sideways

and realize I am in their head

looking at me

things never go well after that

just not enough room

Painting at jeffkimsey-carroll.com

This is Where I Have Come To

This is where,

well not a where,

more like a how -

how when you think

of everything 

all at once

and it all runs together

into a puddle

left from a mental rainstorm.

You say 

so this is where I am,

how I've come to be?

where I've come to...

just that.

jeffkimsey-carroll.com

A Fragment of Process

"A Fragment of Process Done" 27"x16"

Shape has Power
surfaces are marred
in the process
of making.
blobs of paint,
grease, glue
and stain
tell the story
of a hundred projects 
or more.
Little stories
of moments 
left on a table top
I give it a shape
of no significance
attach flame
to symbolize
it being torn apart
Then I set it all
on a field of 
unintelligible glyph
intended to evoke
feeling rather than
understanding.


The Top Layer of
this sculpture was 
part of a work bench
that built many 
exhibits at the 
children's museum 
I work at. I drew little 
pictures into all the 
paint and glue blobs.

Two Close up shots showing some of the little drawn in
stories




Jeff Saving Stories

playing with shapes all summer long

Well I have not been keeping up with the blog but I have been busy. I have tried to produce more of my sculptures whenever I get the time. Here are a few that are done or still in the works.

"Living Water" Abstract - Wood, paint and photographic image 38"x16"

"Search for Place" Another of the "Soul Star Series" Abstract - wood, paint and Photographic image.      
24"x18"         
Alana and I started this one back on Father's Day

                 "Universe Within" Abstract - Wood, paint - 36"x 22"

No name as of yet. abstract collage - Photographs of original art work placed into a wooden frame. I may be adding more images to the collage and the frame.  

Jeff kickin it abstract    

          

Digital Demolition

 

Sky's End

 





Truth's Flame

Dragon Trainer

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Photographs Manipulated in the computer.

Jeff smearing images

Shadow Mans dance

I shot these stills one night while camping using only lantern light. Yes it is my shadow, that's why one hand is always on my face. I am holding the camera and looking through the view finder. It's good to play with light. Ilove the color.

Jeff of the dark

something new

Over the past year I have done a few tile jobs for customers. These have just been standard tile work on floors or walls. I enjoy it but always wanted to do more absract work. So I have taken some of the leftover tiles and broken them up and added some other tile people have given me over the years and made a table top. This was really fun, but the next time I do this I need to make sure all the tile is the same thickness. There are a few places on here where if you sit a glass down it might be leaning a bit. I don't think it would fall over. Oh well always looking for new creative adventures. Let me know if you need a table top. Click on the photo for a little larger view.

Check out this wonderful website of an artist I met a while back when she needed some circles cut in plywood. She makes pictures in tile. They are amazing.
 Carol Shelkin Mosaics

Jeff grouting

New Obsession

My new obsession are these four panel graphics. I have been doing them for some time now, but I continue to enjoy making them. I started in this case with paint out in the garage. Then I photographed the painting like I explained in my last post and enhanced the images digitally. I like this pin wheel effect cause it creates a sense of motion as well as allows the abstract image to be viewed from four different perspectives. If you are looking for meaning here your guess is as good as mine. These are explorations in emotion, there is nothing here to be known only felt. I will surly make more.

Jeff Stuck