It is 3 am and nobody is awake but me and Sylvia Plath. She’s not letting me rest until I pay some debts. I am writing this so I can go back to sleep. Perhaps the most obvious of my artistic ancestors since quitting canvas for 3-D painted wood and poetry is William Blake. He was a loner and conceived, produced and executed his own work. He was a one man band as am I.
My mother bought a book on Van Gogh when I was 18 and I was enthralled immediately. It reminded me of the comics I loved that had been drawn by Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby . You can probably find the influence of marvel comics in my paintings no matter how high falutin’ I get.
Doggy Drainpipe
The Painters I have admired the most revel in the qualities of the paint as if it were a large tasty dinner spread before them. They also have been like the saints with the ability to “will one thing”. Just to name a few Rembrandt, DeKooning, Pollock, Francis Bacon , Peter Saul, Whistler, Picasso , Modigliani, George Grosz, Ingres, Philip Guston, Ashile Gorky, Balthus, DaVinci, and Goya have at one time or another been in my eyes and heart. My tastes are catholic and mercurial so if you ask me in an hour the list will change. All of these folks had nerve and vision, and I can now say after 30 years of art making that I have earned the right to say I have nerve and vision too. In modern times painting has lost its place as the pre-imminent art form. Concept art, body art and all sorts of new expressions have come forward because of perceived exhaustion of Painting. Even Rock bands benefit from painting’s impossibilities. For a young artist, painting is intimidating because of its vast, ancient history and the feeling that ‘everything has been done”. Who can blame artists for not wanting to square up against the greatest artists of all time? I was intimidated too, and it looked to me like it was a battle that took a lifetime of zeal to make any progress. What can I say! I’m a sucker for hopeless causes! There are commercial hacks and painters who work in safe well worn paths these days and that is why Painting is now not an important art form.
It is my life mission to change that. To look at the history of art and answer the sphinx’s riddle, to paint with nerve and vision and bring painting back to its throne as the greatest and most profound of the arts .The answer is you give your life to it and don’t look down.
PM Blues
A few words about the poetry…..
I have always had a facility with words but Richard Hugo’s book “The Triggering Town” has been invaluable to me as I began pursuing poetry seriously in 1998. It’s delightful to discover a vast new creative territory to explore when you are in your middle years .The poems of Sylvia Plath , Dylan Thomas, T. S. Elliot and W.H. Auden to name a very few have opened my eyes and changed my interior. They have all been both Godly and Godless in showing me Poe’s “Glimpse of the ineffable”. …..Joshua Kight …3 am
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the words about painting; I’m with you on this issue.
I like your work. I got a kick out of your sight . I want mine to be as easy to navigate…
I admire many of the same painters as you Josh. Peter Saul was teaching at U.T. when I was getting my Fine Arts degree in the early 80’s and had quite a following. I tried my hand at painting, but it wasn’t meant to be. I have always loved Picaso, DeKooning, Van Gogh, Salvador Dali and Chagall especially. I was lucky enough to visit the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam and the Salvador Dali museum in Spain years ago. It was amazing to walk into a room at the Dali museum and feel as if you were becoming part of the artwork. It was a 3-D delight. Though you didn’t mention it, I think I see a Dali influence in much of your work.
I really like your portraits and PM Blues is one of my favorites. The warm colors of the natural wood give it a nice feel. The cutout on the forehead area reminds me of a mail slot with direct access to the brain.
Looking forward to keeping up with your latest works on your new blog. I hope Sylvia is letting you get some shut-eye now. ;)
I figured you’d like the wood I bet your husband does too, you guys are surrounded by beautiful woodwork…Peter Saul saw this and said it looked like an indestructible piece of furniture and that there was nothing like it even remotely in New York.
Hi Kathryn as you know I am from INDIA ^_^ yeah Atif Aslam sorto land :p Like your all other fans I have the same thing to say Since I have come across your blog..I have foellwod you like a devoted follower ^_^ I have soaked up so much inspiration from you ALWAYS you are like a MENTOR to me .Though you live so far still I feel connected to you via your blog posts and get myself inspired.I am not able to grab your creations but one day will surely get all your creations on my wall.Till then I have kept all your creations scanned and printed in a folder and whenever I get time I simply open it and study your art form.It really makes me go on and encourage to do something in my life.Indirectly but still you inspire me A LOT.You have no clue that you have dozens of followers from INDIA too ^_^ .and on behalf of all of them I wanna say that KATIE YOU ROCK WE <3 U" Please keep posting loads of illustrations in future also No matter I win the give away or not I still have your blog to keep me motivated and inspired. ^_^