Reviewing what we saw (A Blog)

If you will indulge me for a minute or two, I’d like to first say how much I have enjoyed the 5x 5 Show and Tell on Fridays during the ChatLine for members. It is affording us all an insight into artist members’ work, in addition to enabling us to put a name and face to who is who, creating the pieces we have been looking at in past exhibits.

Usually, it takes me a little while to absorb all the finer points of a work of art that I may have looked at. At our last 5 x 5 on, we were treated to some very interesting art:

Tai’s presentation was as entertaining as it was informative..

Joan presented her work as imaginative pieces, lovingly created.

Susan surprised me that we had in our ranks an ambitious installation artist. I mistakenly thought of us as primarily painters, photographers, a few sculptors, and the odd ceramicist.

While all the presentations were very interesting, revealing little and big things about the artist, it is Dale’s photographs that have lingered with me. Perhaps I saw a connection with my own work, both from a visual approach and the narrative potential. Even though our works could not be more different, Nature becomes the common thread, because I am primarily a landscape painter. My landscapes are self-sown, though influenced by real places. They are never peopled, and rarely have structures, but always there are clues to the fact that someone has been there.
Dale’s photos, found in Nature:  the winter landscape with a curving fence; the pergola with picnic tables beneath it; the Road Works sign near a stream…these all involve man-made things that give the viewer clues to run with, in her imagination, fostering a narrative that will vary with each viewer. For me, I find myself inquisitive about those places and maybe even inspired to write a short story for each. No matter if I do or don’t, the images keep me enthralled.

This concludes my little re-cap, with no intention of generating discussion, although should anyone feel like commenting, please free to do so. Mostly, I want to express what these Zoom chats have become for me. Insightful!

Marjorie Moeser
WAAC Studio Artist