The Story of "Big Bowl"

Andrew — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 19:25:02 GMT

The Story of Big Bowl If air, earth, fire and water can get along then why can’t we? That’s what I was thinking when I was painting Big Bowl. This painting started with one 4’ x 4’ canvas panel that I brought to Laguna Creek Beach. It was a very windy day and I did my best not to sail off the cliff. I ended up painting a view of mostly the bluff across the way as the fog enters into it. There were strong whites against brown bluff… Texturally, I liked it. The composition was limited. Back at the studio, I started changing the shape of the bluff, curving it more, allowing the ocean to have a stronger presence. Sometimes what I start with isn’t what I end up with. I went to the Monet in Normandy exhibition at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. I spent some time at Lands End viewing the bay. San Francisco Bay feels like a big bowl that can hold a range of emotions and conflicts and passions. I took photo references. I painted a small work called “Lands End” which you will see in the studio. I returned home and got another 4’ x 4’ canvas with the idea of painting the bay. That canvas was too small. I needed something to hold all the feelings that came up for me about the war in Lebanon and Israel. I have been thinking lately that war is intimacy gone awry. I see us as vulnerable beings each with gifts to share. Love can be too frightening. Muslims and Jews are the brothers Isaac and Ishmael. I looked at the initial 4’ x 4’ bluff and thought it could blend and become half of the San Francisco bay and I would add the other 4’ x 4’ canvas to complete the bowl. I decided not to include the Golden Gate Bridge as I wanted to see the endless nature of things. Maybe this would be a diptych large enough to hold my emotions. I wrote my thoughts all over the bay and painted layers and layers over them. Eventually I painted over the land in the foreground and let the water take over so as to hold the largeness of love and conflict.

My Blog

The Story of "Big Bowl"