Saturday, December 26, 2009

Pathfinding (slide show)

preliminary sketches and initial paintings




a lot more to be done with this project during the rest of the winter and into the spring

Friday, December 25, 2009

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Saturday, December 19, 2009

100 Waves (slide show)




from the solo show in 2006

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

2 Drops 2 Thoughts of Water (slide show)

(requires Flash)




slide your cursor over the bottom of the window to see the navigation buttons
going to full screen mode is very cool

(acrylics are either 12" x 24" or 12" x 12" and the screenprints are 22" x 22")

I was invited to an artist network, and made this slideshow for it (their software does a nice job).
Feel free to share this with people you think might enjoy it.
(the actual works are for sale, of course)

If you don't have a Flash Player on your computer, here is a link to a simple HTML slide show that should be easy to navigate
http://www.scottbarnesart.com/contactsheets/2Drops2Thoughts.html

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Artist Statement Generator

Ever notice the reoccurance of the same, seeminly purposefully confusing words in artists' statements?

http://www.playdamage.org/market-o-matic/

http://www.pixmaven.com/phrase_generator.html

http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/12/artists-statement-generator.html

Some of it is genuine; a real overlap of intent and the commonality of the language attempted in art itself.
Some of it is learned artspeak leftover as a kind of artschool hangover when the entire purpose of academia was to be more negative than supportive.
Some of it just might be a result of a purposely collective database of common terms and phrases that sound smart because they are pure obfuscation.
(the definition of obfuscation is, itself, worth looking into)

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Monday, December 07, 2009

transparency and overlap (thickness) repost



still trying to figure out where to go from this point.
It has certainly informed my work over the past three years,
but I want to engage this very simple idea more directly
with the two materials in this series of sketches

Sunday, December 06, 2009

Saturday, December 05, 2009

experiment with different backgrounds for the water paintings
Leaving a field of raw canvas is good. It denotes an unfinished and unknown quality to that which is beyond the main figure.

Might be worth using gold or copper for a ground to tie the concept of the unknown, the spiritual, the holy, into the same sense of fear and awe found in old Byznatine art.

Blue would be the western version as evidenced by the mystical quality (and expense of) given to the sky in Renaissance art,

and by the meditative blue color field painting of Yves Klein.

Probably the most interesting thing (to me) about the International Klein Blue is that it is beyond the color gamut of computer screens, thus cannot be represented accurately. The same can be said of many hues of real gold. Which brings me back to the original idea: using color (or nothingness) as a stand in for that which cannot be fully known in conciousness; either because it is not yet experienced, or is simply beyond our ability to understand.

Friday, December 04, 2009

Emination (currents?)

death and rebirth

mostly thinking of the representation of holiness, godliness, the spirituality which cannot be defined, and how it is represented in art by abstract patterning and precious materials (which today are represented by certain colors like gold or blue)

but, the radiating lines of some divine power need to be noted
as well as the emotional content of the curving gestural lines of the figures

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Monday, November 30, 2009

Sunday, November 29, 2009

one drop

Saturday, November 28, 2009

tongue

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Monday, November 23, 2009

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

screenprint


W.P.A. industrial disgusting color style
this is a test print to see how the 4 screens turned out, and get the registration right
now to find some colors that are a little more me....
(although a mini edition with these colors might be fun)

Monday, November 16, 2009

Failure is always an option

http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/57/in-praise-of-failure/all

I am one of those rare few who have had zero interest in the Harry Potter series. But, that does not mean I hate the books, the author, or movies. Just not my cup of tea, that's all.

I have always been interested in varying definitions of success and failure.
Both success and failure are tied to ego and desire, which is why they seem so incredibly important to most people.

The above link is to an article and video of J.K. Rowling's commencement speech at Harvard; about failure.

Messy is good

the article speaks about letting little kids be messy and creative, but I believe that this can extend to adults.
http://www.cae-nyc.org/content/Why-Messy-Is-Good

I would add that a convincing article should not be the basis for discarding one particular pactice or another
neither in praise of creativity/messiness
nor in praise of scientific/academic rigor
But would encourage you to look at WHY you are being either messy or neat.
Being orderly for the sake of obligation, might not be a good reason.
Being messy out of laziness might not be a good reason either.
But, order and logic have a proper place along side the messily random creativity that exists in art (and many fields that would require some level of creativity)

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

why Figurative work is more popular than Abstraction

(at least in Allan Stone's opinion)
http://www.thecollectorfilm.com/interviews.html
although I must admit that I agree with him

When you get to the page, click on the first clip, titled "Allan on Art"

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Monday, October 19, 2009

Wave Cycle in San Francisco



this print will be up for sale at SOMArt
It's a giant show with a first come first served type of sale so worth getting there early.

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Anti-Entropic construction

using seemingly chaotic symbols, motions
spinning outward or inward evokes:
* downward spiral
* ever expanding universe
* whirlpool to nothing
* chaotic weather patterns
* black hole
BUT starting with a blank page
building up layer after layer
using the same screen (screens or other mark-making device)
whether carefully planner or not
constructs something:
* a record of the process; the history as revealed through the remaining artifact
* an icon of entropic forces
* a representation of the movement
* a map of the sub conscious
* deep simplicity

Entropy or Cycle?

Friday, September 18, 2009

New Paper


nothing super special to most people, but I just got a bunch of new Rives BFK in many colors.


Should make for some exiting prints this Fall

Friday, August 14, 2009

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

this list wasn't going anywhere anyway


so I thought I'd "destroy" it and start again on another piece of paper

Monday, July 27, 2009

drawing in the margins

is sometimes more fun than anything else



Thursday, July 09, 2009

watercolors on a rainy day



the rain held off (mostly) for both of the young camper watercolor instruction sessions
and was light enough that I was able to start a couple of quick works of my own
all I had with me was my little field sketch kit, but it's enough to make this simple little piece of the red house on Monhegan Island as I waited for the boat back to Port Clyde.

and just for fun, here is a photo taken by the Camp Kawanhee group, of the red house, just before they left the island
click here

Monday, July 06, 2009

Monhegan Watercolor

This morning I leave on the boat for Monhegan Island to teach some watercolor classes to kids. I'm very excited to visit this beautiful place and see what the kids make. I can hardly wait for the first glimpse of the lighthouse!

Sunday, July 05, 2009




pencil, sharpie, watercolor pencil on paper
7" x 10"

Saturday, July 04, 2009

Friday, July 03, 2009



india ink, water soluble pencil, graphite on paper
4" x 6"

Thursday, July 02, 2009



india ink, water soluble pencil, graphite on paper
4" x 6"

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Coney Island Artist



and Fairleigh Dickinson University professor
Marie Roberts

Saturday, June 27, 2009



7" x10"
Graphite & India Ink on paper

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Monday, June 22, 2009



lumber crayon, alkyd, oil on wood

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Friday, June 19, 2009



pen on paper
7" x 10"

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Ice



ink & chinese marker on paper
7" x 10"

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

rocky approach



ink & graphite on paper

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

squeeze



ink & graphite on paper

Monday, June 15, 2009

Figment 2009 NYC



Left among the work I hung over this weekend on Governor's Island, this paper is the result of two days worth of people visiting and scribbling. Keep this in mind when you look at it. It measures 42" high x 90" long. It was in the room with my art work only. Which, in turn was in a building that had dozens of rooms with their own art work and participatory events. The building was just one of many buildings housing art, sitting on a island that was covered with sculpture, music, performances, all with an emphasis on participation.

link to visual artists

blackwater