Sunday, August 1, 2010

Notation


 Concession 6 Flamborough, soft pastel 15"x16"Summer 2008
click to enlarge

Leafing through Ned Rorem’s New York Diary
"Nothing exists unless it is notated, not even the smell of wind, much less the sound of pastorales. I remember sounds with the eye. Even love and lovemaking are unreal except through a recollection which grows faint and disappears unless I print it here.  I can’t “just live” but must be aware of being aware."
Another quote: "Can you polish a phrase about tears in your eyes with tears in your eyes? Yes."

I find that quote touching and at the same time almost hilarious. In other words the raw material of our moment to moment existence is all we have with which to coax, pummel and fashion  something  into something we hope to be of permanent and lasting value.

9 comments:

  1. Hi Marcia

    I can't remember how I came across your blog but I have enjoyed following it. I like your work, the paintings have a raw energy and rich colour and sculptures have a purity and sublime touch. Great work!! I love reading through the quotes etc you find..... always very interesting.

    Pete :)

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  2. Pete, thank you for your wonderful comments!
    I just visited your blog. Your work is magnificent!

    Marcia

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  3. Glad you like the work Marcia. You're right, Kossoff and Auerbach are inspiration:)

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  4. Notation as adjunct to experience. Yes, absolutely helpful in the creasing of grey matter for later reverie.

    Have you noticed (hmmm) when you visit an art museum that you remember the work better if you take a sketch book and "notate" the work?

    This is a lovely pastel. I'm enjoying the dark, rich colors and the gentle light accents.

    I like where you are going with these.

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  5. Laura, thank you! I so enjoy your comments!

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  6. Hi Pete,
    Auerbach I believe was also an influence on Freud, the grandson.

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  7. Melinda,
    Maybe that self awareness or self consciousness alluded to by composer Ned Rorem in his diary - he was in his thirties when he wrote that - could also be referred to as the third eye.
    We watch ourselves in the thick of things and that notation is an essential part in the grabbing of the moment, that goes into the actual experience of art making - whether it be composing a song, or a poem or a picture. – or, in Rorem’s case – writing a score which would also I think entail a good deal of crossing out or erasing and starting over. He also has an entry about embarrassment in composing at the piano in front of someone.

    I think it’s a great idea to use a sketchbook to jot down impressions in front of paintings that excite us. You’re so right, doing this reinforces memory. So do you do this when you visit an art museum??
    PS thank you for the lovely comments!

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  8. Oh, thank you for writing more on this subject. It leads to questions like, why do we remember, why don't we, why are some memories like searing blasts and why are some memories so important--yet so vague?

    Yes, now when I visit a museum, I take a sketchbook. It's one way to read an artist's work, through my hands and eyes.

    Looking forward to more of your work.

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