Duality

      Yesterday, as I was driving ,I listened to an interview on KPFA involving the horrendous conflict between Israel and Palestine, this perpetual  and unequal tug of war.  I couldn't help but be reminded of an ancient and very brutal time in European history between the Danes and the Saxons... and in this stream of consciousness state I thought about a handout I give my own students in almost every class:  it is a list of OPPOSITES to employ in one's paintings/ drawings, that make the artwork more exciting.

     This list of opposites began in my head about 30 years back, when I realized I was reciting little mantras as I was working ( light /dark, bright/ dull, sharp/diffused,  etc. ) These opposites seemed very necessary to bring a painting into completion.  The tension created between these different elements made the magic happen.  Here are a couple of examples:

Boat Rides Through Millenia
watercolor

Hovering, mixed media

And so I began compiling a list of ever expanding opposites and distributed them to my students. 

PAINTING WITH OPPOSITES

Open form/ Closed Form

Sharp Edge/ Soft Edge

Cut Edge/ Ripped Edge

Area of Complexity/ Area of Simplicity

Saturated Color/ Muted Color

Additive/ Subtractive

Pattern/ Solid

And so the list goes on

Which brings me to the understanding that duality  rules our Universe. We live within it as we perpetually continue  to strive to reach beyond it to a state of harmony.

 In our paintings and in our lives.   My thoughts for today.