Evolution of a painter

I've been drawn to Los Angeles-based painter, Laura Owens (born 1970, Euclid, OH) for a long time. She continues to paint and explore her many inspirations. Here are a few examples from most recent (2009) to older (199?).

The Swoopty Line

It's all coming together. Ever since I started painting curvy lines, I find my eye noticing different pieces of life and reflecting on the movement of life. And now I made up a word for the part of a journey where time stands still and we surrender to the momentum and power of life -the swoopty line.

For example:

A while back, I was looking at surf photos (my brother and sister are both surfers) and was drawn to the shape of the opening from the inside of the tube.....

I've never been inside a wave like that, but I can imagine that there is a moment there where time stands still and you feel your oneness with life as you are engulfed by the power of the water.

Then, I found that same shape and line appearing in my recent paintings of paper airplanes....

I started painting paper airplanes because I love the simplicity and innocent joy that they represent. Their short journeys through the air make children jump for joy. And the loopty loops (making the swoopty line) they do in the sky before they crash into the ground are a part of the fun.

Then, while watching the freestyle skiing event in the Olympics, I realized that what I love most about that event is when they do that back flip, land, and keep going. That moment of suspension gets me. Again, I've never flipped through the air with skis attached to my feet - but the power and the surrender and the magic of that feat amazes me. What line are they drawing in the sky? The swoopty line.

Don't we all, throughout the course of our lives, experience the swoopty line? Many times it's not something we've planned, but we find ourselves suspended with no choice but to trust.

the bird's message

A new painting....

Pierre Bonnard inspired moment

It's snowy outside. My kids are home from school. One of them is not feeling well and wants a bath. Usually, bathing is done at night in our home. But, today is an exception. A bath in the daytime allowed me to see the scene in a new way.

It was that blue-green of the water and the gentle line that caught my eye thanks to the contrasting peachy-orange skin and tiles. And for a moment, thanks to the light of day and the chance to sit for a spell in the bathroom, I had a sense of what Bonnard felt when he watched his woman bathing - peace and quiet in the midst of a concert of colors.