See My Better Side

“When you know yourself you are empowered. When you accept yourself you are invincible.”  ~Tina Lifford

See My Better Side 22″ x 28″ wood, paint, stain and varnish Scott Hamilton 2015

The phrase, “put your best face forward,” is presented quite literally in this piece, along with as much varied meaning the viewer takes from it. A continuation of my journey of getting away from literal translations in realism.

See My Better Side

See My Better Side

See My Better Side

See My Better Side

I have recently found a lot of peace in the notion of accepting myself for who I am, rather than who I want to be or think I should be. The unfinished side of the face is a reflection of how we are all a work in progress; the expectation to be perfect, (either in our own eyes or in the view of others,) only leads to the damaging of self worth.

Stats vary, but at least one million selfies are posted every day. What drives this phenomenon? How do you want to be seen?

~Love yourself, (because you are worthy!) just the way you are.~

deep roots face imprinting- continued

A pictorial (with brief commentary) continuation of my previous discussion on “deep roots: face imprinting“.  Experimentation and exploration of the human visage is the thread here; some of the images I like, some disturb me, but alas, here are some of the results.

‘death like the sun’
hand embellished monoprint 9″x 12″

‘adorned’
hand embellished monoprint 9″ x 12″

‘recognition’, hand embellished monoprint
9″ x 12″

monoprint on cloth

‘veil’ monoprint and acrylic on wood

‘now I see myself’ monoprint, photograph & urethane

Despite this last image looking as though I’ve just been pied, I thought it too rich not to share.

As I have a seemingly short attention span, this is about where I found myself losing interest in the process;  however, my exploration into the human image (inextricably connected to the human condition in all it’s subtleties) continues.

Discussion is welcome. I love discussions.

Until next time,

artboy68

realist, or…?

Are you a realist? If so, what kind of realist are you?

If not, what’s your angle? I’m interested.

signed,

Struggling Realist

~

realist [ˈrɪəlɪst]

n

1. a person who is aware of and accepts the physical universe, events, etc., as they are; pragmatist

2. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) an artist or writer who seeks to represent the familiar or typical in real life rather than an idealized, formalized, or romantic interpretation

3. (Philosophy) Philosophy a person who accepts realism

4. (Philosophy / Logic) (Philosophy) (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) (modifier) of, relating to, or characteristic of realism or realists in the arts, philosophy, etc. a realist school

~

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

~

“I’m in need of a remix”
acrylic & ink on paper, 22″ x 30″
artboy68 2013

Deep roots; face imprinting

I believe the human face holds more mystery and intrigue and imprints the heart and mind more powerfully than any other singular image. I am excited to embark on another study of this subject through a series of monoprints, formed by carving and inking 3-dimensional faces and printing them on a variety of surfaces and backgrounds. After first printing, I am delighted to find that this method produces some unpredictable yet totemic images; I cannot help but feel drawn in a deep way (I’m not a psychologist but I suspect due to the instinctual imprinting that remains with us since infancy), and look forward to beginning a new series of works exploring the subject.

I find the paper prints somewhat reminiscent of Rorschach test images and the canvas prints not dissimilar to an ancient burial shroud left with impressions of the long dead.

No two prints are the same. Let me know what you think…

head #1, ink on paper

head #1, ink on canvas

head #1, carved printing block

 

For interest, here is a National Science Foundation report on the psychology of the image of the human face.  http://www.face-and-emotion.com/dataface/nsfrept/psychology.html

Thanks for watching!

artboy68

new painting, different direction

Ok so I lied, this is nothing like what I said I was going to do but hey- I should just keep my mouth shut more often…

‘the walls before me’
acrylic & ink on panel
10″ x 13-1/4″
artboy68 2013

This was really fun for me, a welcome departure from the realism, which I do so wrestle with at times.

edge detail

If you like it, let me know!  Thanks,

artboy68

new painting: “Porcine Man”

“Porcine Man”, acrylic on paper, 18 1/2″ x 22″

You may recognize this as a drawing I posted last year;  I’ve also taken the liberty of renaming it. (Hey it’s my picture and I can do whatever I want with it…)  Really though, this was a great way for me to get the brushes out without having to think too much- just what I needed to kick off a new year.

Enjoyed the process, feel free to leave your honest opinion!

Thanks,

artboy68

‘Thank God We Found This Place’…. by my daughter Mika

My daughter wrote a poem for a school project yesterday. She based it on a newspaper article about elderly couples who find themselves becoming separated by age and illness, and the inability to find nursing homes that will house them together, ending with inevitable heartbreak. The article outlines one organization which is trying to fill this societal gap, and one couple’s experience with their struggle. You can view the article here.

My girl is 14.

~

THANK GOD WE FOUND THIS PLACE

Mika Hamilton

 

 Opening your arms

in gesture of mending

hearts. Looking into your

eyes; burning timber

gleaming,

with which to light a

new fire.

 

Like root and stalk,

lust and strife, key

and lock. You carry

the spark to my flame,

 

you are the knees to my

legs and the spine to my

head. “My love, abide

with me, set our troubled

hearts at ease.”

 

Standing beneath the

stars; dancing in the blue

and violet threads of night,

 

foraging the still-life

swish of moon-white glow

cracked in the aftermath

of a stuttering smile. She

aptly replied with a breath

you can swank.

 

And so our love goes on,

hand over hand, night and day

songbirds phrase. Neumes

at roosted melody

incipits to a new song

soaked in reverie.

 

Seventy three years we’ve been

together now. Cell by cell

your frame is becoming a

shell, emotions trapped

in a barely-moving

body.

 

This dire disease already

told me the droning truth

that intones a note of

doom; divorce.

 

Unwanted cadence swam

whispering through my veins

that the saddest fear of losing

you is creeping in.

 

The silence we speak is

louder than bombs. Feeling

holes in my stomach

caving in from a vexed

bond.

 

Cowering in my slumber,

there’s a prayer stuck in

my throat waiting in loves

rubble; don’t take her away

from me, don’t let this be

the end.

 

Thank god we found this place.

Where i can be under the same

roof as you. A home where care

meets the needs of this

love-eating disease.

 

Everything from world war to

a recent heart attack, and the

fire is still burning. Thank god

we found this place.

 

Just remember, when

you go what you leave

is a work of art, on

my chest, on my

heart.

 

Without you, there is no

more light. Fire;

withdrawn, vying grief

for flame.

 

So douse me in gasoline

and strike a match, roan

blood; red with dew

 

because how could

my life ever last so

rich with me and

dense with you.

portrait #3: “muzzle”

“Muzzle”, 15″ x 15″, black carbon & colored pencil

Portrayed here is my alter-ego; the woodworker- my daytime persona.

I’m thankful for having work, but one day I would really like to hang up the mask and reveal my true identity.

Cheers,

artboy68

“Losing Shame”

“Tolerance, white.”

This is my theme for this entry in the We Imagine Peace (Global Art Collaboration Project). After spending some time thinking about this theme, I found tolerance a difficult subject in the goal of promoting world peace, because I see the word as meaning accepting something negative, or the practice of permitting a thing of which one disapproves, such as social, ethnic, sexual, or religious practices. I believe tolerance is a starting point which should eventually disappear in favour of acceptance. 

So I had to think of how to represent this, and decided to relate it to my personal experience.

The figure in the drawing is my great grandfather, representing (in this case) generations of poor ideologies and false conceptions, mainly as a result of the times, and how small the world was for the individual a century ago. My father frequently used racial slurs in his everyday language- I don’t believe this was motivated by hatred- I believe it was learned behavior, and that he did not conciously mean to cause any harm. He certainly did not intentionally promote any ill will toward people of other ethnic origins in our home. However, using language like this is harmful even in the smallest measure. I have explored the concept of ‘generational sin’ in some previous writings, equating this inherited behavior with the term family shame. I felt that this was a good topic to illustrate “losing the shame” of intolerance.

The writing in the background of this piece is an excerpt from an essay on the psychology of using racial slurs in language. The gist of it is that stereotypes are a result of a lack of knowledge, and misconceptions can lead one group to see themselves as superior to another. Using racial slurs in speech is referred to in this excerpt as “the language of oppression.”

Today, with so much information and knowledge at our fingertips, and within reach of our youth, misconceptions and stereotypes are beginning to fade. Even in today’s world of mistrust between nations, truths are easier to find, which leads to understanding and combats fear and hatred, creating more tolerance.

Educate.

Find common ground.

I am happy to report that in my home racial slurs are NEVER used, and we promote acceptance and learning about that which is not understood. We are actively LOSING THE SHAME of our former generations.

Why the jellyfish? Some Google searching revealed that it is sometimes seen as a symbol of tolerance because of its minimal impact on the environment- they rely on the currents of the ocean and the winds to move it in the direction it needs to go, (in other words, they ‘go with the flow’) and they take only the food they need.

Thanks for taking a look! Let me know what you think….

artboy68

 

portrait #2: “I AM MY OWN WORST ENEMY”

“I AM MY OWN WORST ENEMY”, carbon transfer on paper, 15″ x 18″

Duality. Mental make-up. The shadow we visit in the mirror when we forget who we are.

Some days the sky is so blue you can taste it; others the air can press on your chest so hard you cannot breathe…

One day is a success. The next, a failure.

Human nature.

This is a private showing of artboy68 one and a half. This dual image unnerves me; combined from two separate photographs, the me under that face is actually smiling.

Can anyone relate?

cheers,

artboy68

“I AM MY OWN WORST ENEMY”, detail