tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37083546178802130202011-11-27T14:24:23.597-05:00An Artist's PracticeRebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.comBlogger591100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-26934871455250372642011-09-15T23:00:00.012-04:002011-09-17T11:56:50.280-04:00

Ink brush painting is unforgiving. One mistake, one false stroke and it's over. For this very reason I love to work in this demanding, traditional medium. I am forced to be fully and intensely present and have to focus on the now to the exclusion of all distractions.I become acutely aware of the flow and amount of water I am using on the brush, at the same time watching the receptivity of the

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-80425799375531158732011-07-07T11:27:00.015-04:002011-08-16T21:01:02.936-04:00

Since I was invited to jury a show, I've been thinking about what makes a good painting, or what makes one painting better than another one. To answer this question, I believe you have to know the goal of the work or the purpose of the painting, before you can make a judgment. In comparing apples and oranges, which fruit is better? Neither of course, because they are not better, just different.

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-60717029670216386242011-05-21T18:01:00.024-04:002011-05-24T16:16:16.945-04:00

My ink brush paintings measure 27"x 27" and laying six or more of them out on the floor forms a glorious grid. I exchange positions of individual paintings and create new relationships within the grid. The paintings change in relationship to one another and so does the visual meaning of the whole.The grid is imbued as an explicit metaphor of spirituality. The structure is felt not seen. Does the

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-17924063550357900712011-03-26T18:43:00.009-04:002011-03-26T19:02:28.914-04:00

"Clusters", Sumi ink on ShuendetailLately, I've been working on a group of large ink brush paintings. I have figured out how to get the small 3"x3" ink brush paintings to work at the size of 27"x 27".This is a big jump in scale and has not been easy to do. Part of the problem, is I can not see the whole composition as I paint. Additionally, my brushes tend to be too small for the larger paper.

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-44493034674195234642011-01-04T13:05:00.018-05:002011-01-06T15:15:16.130-05:00

'Cisco Beach I-IV' Group of four panorama,Oil and canvas, each 10"x 10"Nantucket, MAIt is winter break, now and after the holiday guests have left, I have my studio back. With a freshly organized studio, I was reviewing my plein air painting on Nantucket this past summer and decided to post some of the painting I did there. It was a productive time, more new work to follow.Enjoy and please

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-19808509630465042112010-05-27T19:50:00.013-04:002010-06-17T22:09:20.950-04:00

I am posting these drawings by a famous artist. Any guesses as to who did these drawings? I'll give you a clue. These portraits were done in the 1940's and this artist was a pioneer in Abstract Expressionism.For me, it's important to recognize that if an artist chooses to draw or paint abstractly, it does not mean that they do not possess the technical skill to render objects in a

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-59476376183623410752010-03-19T12:15:00.009-04:002010-03-19T16:40:39.762-04:00

It's been a long cold, hard winter, the warm sun feels so good; the coo of the dove from an open window. Ah! It's finally Spring, a time for love, poetry and art.A Taoist poem from the East:"Aroused by the beauty of spring,unable to sleep, I watch the moonmove flower shadows up my silk curtain."Ancient Greek writer from the Westtranslated by H. de Vere Stacpoole, Sappho "Sweet mother,

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-32417459497168782572010-01-28T22:39:00.025-05:002011-11-27T14:24:23.605-05:00

Who as an artist, has the guts to say when someone asks innocently: "so what are you work on?" when deep in winter, nurturing the creative process, dreaming, thinking, trying on ideas, combining different processes...in other words not outwardly making a physical thing.It is wintertime, I am actively gestating, quiet, passive and open to what will soon be new. Yet, I find this one of the most

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-72509163418058901922009-11-08T22:37:00.026-05:002009-12-17T20:08:05.466-05:00

I promised to post the art work I did this fall at the Woodside residency. What amazes me about my work at the residency was that I picked up right where I left off with my thesis panels. I had already done two panels in January and produced a third panel after six months had gone by. All three paintings look as if I created them together at the same time.This surprises me, I did not expect I

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-86570633181931040452009-09-07T16:39:00.011-04:002009-09-12T22:05:10.945-04:00

After looking into artist residencies by attending the TransCultural Exchange Conference on Artist Residencies in Boston this past April with fellow graduate Jane Rainwater, I was exposed to three days of workshops, lectures and meetings that explained the plethora of opportunities available to artists.I decided to apply in August for an artist residency close by. I'd been thinking how great it

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-1244119250197251052009-07-08T17:44:00.018-04:002009-08-05T10:42:43.406-04:00

Can you count how many myths about artists are in this video clip? You are an artist if you are:smugmalesocially inappropriate or anti-socialsay and do things to shock and/or hurt othersabuse alcohol and drugsphysically abuse self and/or otherspromiscuous or into kinky sexsuffer way more than other people doa slave to your musemake art that sells comerciallymake art that isn't really

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-37428927513053368952009-07-04T19:57:00.011-04:002009-07-04T20:47:26.377-04:00

Big Congratulations to all my artist friends at The Art Institute of Boston for this June 2009 residency especially the new graduates. I went up to Boston to see the new work of the incoming students and listen to the thesis artists talks given by the June graduating class. As always the artist talks were riveting and the new work from incoming students amazing. I'll start posting some of the

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-65933039996652810262009-06-13T21:16:00.016-04:002009-06-13T23:14:51.869-04:00

The Harvard Museum of Natural History in Boston has an amazing collection of glass flowers that were painstakingly hand made by Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka between 1886 and 1936. These models were made because the founder of Harvard's Botanical Museum wanted life-like representatives of the plant kingdom for teaching botany.The Blaschkas' studio was located in Hosterwitz, near Dresden, Germany.

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-83421711676513626892009-03-24T21:33:00.025-04:002009-03-27T16:31:13.966-04:00

Of the 500 or so images I've created during my MFA program, 80% are in done in a square format. Of the many critiques I've participated in, I've been ready with a thoughtful answer to the question..."so why are you painting in a square composition?"Yet, no one in the past two years ever asked me or challenged me on why I was painting in a square format. The first problem an artist needs to

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-84649626286337417812009-03-08T20:14:00.006-04:002009-03-08T20:43:04.557-04:00

All last fall I was wracking my brain to come up with an original, cool, mind blowing presentation for my thesis show. My thesis show was in January, so the time for it has past. Not so with my brain still under the directive of come up with an awesome idea for a thesis show!I was frankly so busy writing and creating art work that I didn't have extra energy for "what if's" and "wonder what that

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-39440873211712708132009-02-27T22:14:00.004-05:002009-02-27T22:30:20.740-05:00

After giving it quite a bit of thought and wrestling with code, links and flash photo galleries that don't work (see below), I have finally decided to have a separate Fine Art web site devoted to my work as an artist.I didn't actually create it from scratch like I usually do, instead I've used a web based site for artists called icompedium.com. I must say how delighted I am to not have to build a

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-6293328692643930222009-02-17T21:46:00.035-05:002011-10-06T23:58:59.419-04:00

I have been getting requests to see my latest work. My newest works can be seen in this presentation and will give you a good idea of the themes and media I've been been working in. Artist Presentation. This artist talk was created as part of a thesis presentation for my MFA at The Art Institute of Boston.

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-2960160033914751972009-02-16T17:02:00.008-05:002009-02-16T17:23:49.447-05:00

One of my thesis panels Water Makes Rock II has been accepted into The Slater Museum 66th Annual Connecticut Artists Exhibition.Artist Ron Cruzan juried the show which features paintings, drawings, mixed media, sculpture, graphics and photography by resident artists of Connecticut.It's a wonderful show with artists from all over Connecticut. You are invited to attend the opening reception and

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-1764489835024332012009-01-25T15:44:00.019-05:002009-01-25T23:47:23.863-05:00

I have graduated with an MFA in Visual Arts and am released from The Art Institute of Boston into the art world as an emerging artist.This program is one of the best kept secrets for graduate study in Fine Art. I am still in a daze from the whirlwind of the past two years. My work has grown in proportion to the hours I have spent making it. I have discovered who I am as an artist and am ready to

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-28306340306363539172008-12-13T01:08:00.003-05:002008-12-13T01:25:33.693-05:00

I have started to provide buyers of my work with a Certificate of Authenticity. It looks very cool with an official embossed seal on parchment paper. I designed it and hand made it small, 5"x 7" so it is a nice size to fit in an envelope. If you look close you can just about see the seal in the lower right corner. Quite the professional, eh?!

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-44159454803014777902008-11-25T16:36:00.006-05:002008-11-25T16:43:47.831-05:00

Dilbert so often sums it up for me.

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-64590768365831065612008-10-14T14:39:00.004-04:002008-10-14T14:48:24.571-04:00

I will be giving an Artist talk on my graduate work which is currently on exhibit at Mitchell College in New London, Connecticut.The Color Scroll Paintings are part of that show and I am excited to see how the curators managed to display it.If any of you are in the neighborhood stop by for a visit.

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-7935842842796806652008-09-27T00:58:00.008-04:002008-09-27T15:49:58.714-04:00

Well, three months of solid writing is finally beginning to get to me, but it's almost done. The title is Eastern Seeds, Western Soil: A Path to Transcendence. Can I talk about it before it is actually done? Is it bad luck, like seeing the bride in her dress before the wedding?This is one of the most intense projects I've ever undertaken and I have to admit, I kinda liked doing it, I'm learning

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-71644312489555022392008-08-29T17:36:00.018-04:002008-08-29T22:29:24.080-04:00

I have been practicing discussing my work in front of small audiences to prepare for the "big shooew" in January as part my required graduate presentation.It's tough to give an artist talk even in front of a small group that admits it doesn't know much about art. Of course, I brought in my most current and challenging work to show and discuss.The piece I brought in to discuss is shown below and

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-72916268680262393262008-08-19T11:02:00.010-04:002008-08-19T11:50:50.607-04:00

It is amazing where research can take you. I stumbled upon this tidbit, did you know that felines paint? There is a theory of feline aesthetics and a discussion of the history of feline art on this web site, Why Cats Paint.People actually curate and critique cat paintings! They are exhibited in the Museum for Non-primate Art. The west wing is devoted to cat art. Here is a video of a cat painting.

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-56202724606918376792008-08-02T10:52:00.011-04:002008-08-02T12:12:10.140-04:00

The IPhoto book I published two weeks ago came out well enough for me make two more books. I did a redo of the Oil on Copper with slight tweaking and made a new one called Color Scroll Paintings. The only thing I would advise is to learn what the program can do, so you have complete creative control.It took ten days for me to get the book. It was shipped from the west coast, so maybe that is why

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-44088805554621121562008-07-20T14:58:00.012-04:002008-08-02T11:38:16.678-04:00

I have gone ahead and published a book using IPhoto and the Apple online printing site. I hope it comes out O.K. I worry about the colors reproducing accurately.It wasn't all that easy to get the typography and images to my specifications...but hey, I'm reeeal picky. It will be interesting to see what the quality is for $20.00 plus shipping and handling. They'll send me the actual book in a few

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-35722446237365600752008-06-12T12:27:00.021-04:002008-07-11T22:51:56.407-04:00

The Art Institute of BostonJune 2008 Residency:Abstraction emerges as visual recognition, subsides. In painting the landscape I walk the line between representation and abstraction within the same frame. Abstract images encourage direct experience and invite emotional identification with the suggestion of imagined terrain.My landscape painting is at once abstract and figurative and reference

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-57277840946137473532008-05-30T10:48:00.025-04:002008-06-29T22:59:40.302-04:00

Oil on denim 36"x26"As my fourth residency approaches, I have to decide on a thesis topic. This semester I've created semi-abstract and completely abstract work. I thought I would post one of the new semi-abstract paintings. Much of the semi-abstract art will not garish as much attention as the completely abstract work, in addition it doesn't show up well online. I am writing an artist statement

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-47057512790319184072008-04-20T16:25:00.050-04:002008-05-07T10:58:08.632-04:00

Yesterday, was a gorgeous day for a trip to the Dia:Beacon Contemporary Art Museum in Beacon, NY. Lynda Schlosberg, a fellow AIB graduate student and I made the trip together. As one of the worlds most distinguished collections of contemporary art, all the names we read about in Critical Theory were on view. Some of the most successful and famous contemporary work is shown there.Works by: Bernd

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-91870303296196733172008-04-17T17:14:00.012-04:002008-05-31T12:24:38.485-04:00

In the spirit of improv, lighthearted fun, what happens when people do the un-ordinary and unexpected in public? It's fascinating to watch human behavior as the unexpected jolts us out of our unconscious behavior.With the flavor of candid camera, check out this video as one of the largest train stations in the world comes to a halt. People freeze in place for five minutes in Frozen in Grand

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-79051171720369810792008-04-07T11:20:00.003-04:002008-04-17T13:57:41.662-04:00

"Going down to NYC to see the WACK! Art and Feminist Revolution Exhibition was like...very heavy, man. Over four hundred female artists exploring feminist themes from the decade of the groovy 70's. Man, those chicks were pissed... complaining broads are such a turn-off ! I mean, like the girls used their bodies to make ART, if you could call it... art and..."Ok. Ok. I'll stop. My third paper is

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-1804045256242378342008-03-20T13:32:00.020-04:002008-03-28T00:44:23.754-04:00

The exhibit and artist lecture, called Female Forms and Facets: Artwork by Women from 1975 to the Present, at Central Connecticut State University was curated with the idea of giving women artists a place to say what they wanted to say and express what they wanted to express. It featured original art work by Judy Chicago, Cindy Sherman, Judy Fox, Janine Antoni, Penny Arcade (not her real name),

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-89918090168754317702008-03-02T13:37:00.024-05:002008-04-17T13:58:42.250-04:00

Critical Theory is best understood when we can relate it to our experiences. Here is a section of my second paper, a thought piece called "Who is Speaking?" You can download the PDF (by clicking on the name of the paper), if you want to read more. I stuck to the word count, so it's not that long. Any comments are always welcome."While traveling in Afghanistan, I was wearing a traditional Mexican

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-61221834837874790752008-02-25T23:53:00.008-05:002008-02-29T16:32:02.551-05:00

As I read all this theory, I'm thinking about what Art gets used for. If you can think of anything else, I'll add it to the list.Art's Sake (just because)Therapy (therapeutic nature)Pleasure (sensuousness, beauty )Expression (the self, a group)Spirituality (search for divinity)Life's sake (a celebration of)Commercialism (to buy and sell)Fun (to have a good time)Exploration (find the new)Children

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-60168210024221699132008-02-14T13:02:00.007-05:002008-02-15T00:21:00.624-05:00

The Guerrilla Girls point out the facts. Count how many images of naked male figures verse naked female figures are displayed in paintings, in our museums. Women artists work is being purchased by museums... and kept in the basement! Alright, not quite sure sexism, racism, ageism and corruption exists? Can you say "backlash"...watch this and wept all you women and enlightened men artists...

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-6361886991341483972008-02-08T19:10:00.000-05:002008-02-08T19:29:23.494-05:00

It's hard to maintain motivation, particularly when it's dark and gloomy like it has been in Connecticut, for the past week. I was looking at the dates for six months before we have to be back in Boston. It gave me a new perspective. Somehow, looking at these dates lights a fire under me.What if someone said... "you only have six months left to"... fill in the blank. Hmm, somehow, this makes me

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-21208929949426498082008-01-30T13:18:00.000-05:002008-02-11T10:41:58.327-05:00

The article "Two Methodologies for the Interpretation of Abstract Expressionism" by Franic V. O'Connor, 1988, has a section called "The Psychodynamically Considered Creator".Or translated, what kind of an artist are you? He writes "An artist can be understood, specifically, as a person fixated at the visual stage of early development..." Essentially, artists have a partly unconscious NEED to make

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-67793984202557397542008-01-29T23:50:00.000-05:002008-02-09T14:59:10.747-05:00

Robert Henry is my new mentor for this semester. I met with him last Saturday at his studio in Wellfleet on Cape Cod. He introduced me to his wife, Selina Trieff. Selina is currently exhibiting in a group show in Fairfield, CT. Bob has a second student he is mentoring along with myself.I brought up my work to his large studio overlooking the quiet bay. He was very generous with his time and spot

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-52858487709911686232008-01-22T00:25:00.002-05:002008-04-17T13:59:35.333-04:00

“My name’s not here, there’s been a mistake! How could this be?” These thoughts made me anxiously search the 600 Beacon Street building, in semi-darkness the evening before my third residency. I was desperate to find my critique space.Physical exhibition space is important. The critique space would designate where I spent my time for ten days and with whom. I wanted to think about the space and

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-84295803752842667292008-01-09T22:21:00.000-05:002008-02-11T11:01:14.600-05:00

Painting the landscape acts as a reference point and provides visual freedom to create new space. New space serves as a metaphor for personal experience and allows for the exploration of the divinity in nature. Imagery is informed by Romanticism and encompass transcendental abstraction. Digital prints, oil paintings and ink brush paintings are three distinct and related bodies of work I created

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-55656925965732372572007-12-22T13:16:00.001-05:002008-02-04T23:52:04.102-05:00

"Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace to people of good will."Luke 2:13, 14Edward Burne-Jones: "Sixth Day Angels"

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-25751837934607994432007-12-10T13:55:00.000-05:002007-12-10T14:38:03.080-05:00

Ah, a fantastic mentor meeting...Qimin was able to offer me deep insight, guidance and advise about my work this semester. I am so excited how the study of brush painting has influenced my oil painting. Brush painting has subtly changed my painting stroke and so has experimenting with indirect painting, Thank you, Tony. The brush painting, oil and digital work do relate to each other, even

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-14794973203535544932007-11-15T12:37:00.001-05:002008-04-17T14:01:51.587-04:00

Blessedly the Friday night angst is over and writing won. It seems I have picked up on an ancient conflict between the one who paints and the one who writes in China. The best of both is found in the genius scholar-painter archetype.Writer's who could write about art but did not paint well were considered "at home with theories but at sea with the brush". And painters who could paint well but

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-50565704164452433412007-11-09T17:56:00.000-05:002007-12-01T10:05:08.849-05:00

Frankly, everybody I'm in freak out mode. I've been so straight out working I haven't been able to make time to connect or contribute to my fellow scholars on Flickr.There is making art or production, writing about art and teaching about art. These are all separate activities, people! Hello! They each require separate skills. How can one do them all well? Seems to me, somethings got to give.I

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-72514190757508587722007-10-07T17:11:00.000-04:002007-11-29T22:52:36.036-05:00

I have been doing small ink brush paintings every day since the beginning of this residency. I took digital photos of some of the paintings. I put them into a Quicktime movie. I was surprised by the results. Posting this movie on the web doesn't show a lot of the paintings textures. But it's meditative and the music called Summer's Almost Gone, (which it is) by George Winston. Let me know what

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-12872476297580640602007-09-18T18:18:00.001-04:002008-04-17T14:04:12.184-04:00

I'm not going to post to the whole paper but thought I'd give you some highlights. The book is called The Reenchantment of Art, by Suzi Gablik.I like Gablik, she's a succinct and articulate writer. I've found it much harder to write on what I agree with than what I disagree with; here's a snippet of those five pages.The Role of Art“The source of creativity in society is the person”, says Gablik.

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-11317695389497762892007-09-16T10:50:00.000-04:002007-09-16T12:07:14.266-04:00

Looking at Serra's work from the second floor of the MoMa was very different than being in the actual space the sculpture occupied. The massive walls of the piece, created simple minimalist curving flowing lines, that from above I found pleasant, calming almost meditative.All that changed drastically when I went downstairs to experience the space of the sculpture. My first reaction was, Good God!

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-9012838104375902292007-08-31T18:08:00.000-04:002007-11-28T22:13:47.268-05:00

"Sea Glass" and "Across the Species" (see blog sidebar) were accepted into a small juried show. The question put before me was, did I want to sell my work? Well, yeah... don't we all need to generate revenue?The next question then is, how much do you sell your work for? How do you price YOUR work? Do you consider the amount of time spent on a piece? Do you factor in materials and framing? What

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-42052248800662102422007-08-27T10:40:00.000-04:002007-08-31T18:32:58.780-04:00

One of the hottest, muggiest days in August, and I was standing in the bowels of the Manhattan subway, waiting. My throat burned from the acidic air and sweat and anxiety dripped from me, as waves of people went about their business. Hordes of people, but I felt alone. Ok, ok... suffice to say, NYC for me is nothing like Sarah Jessica Parker's; if this is city living, I'm a country gal.I met

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-80466377939144478322007-08-12T21:29:00.000-04:002007-08-22T01:12:34.351-04:00

Eva Lake of Voice America- The Art World, interviewed poet, writer and NPR commentator Andrei Codrescu on being an artist. He is fascinating to listen to and spoke about artists being public expressers, betraying the mysteries and achieving a balance between silence and expression.He also talked about artists creating value in their art with integrity. He had some interesting things to say about

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-52775638796271045932007-08-06T22:27:00.000-04:002007-08-15T13:26:05.503-04:00

Here are some questions and comments kicking around in my head from reading Suzi Gablik's The Reenchantment of Art. I'm wrestling with these ideas and some of them are winning. What's your view?What is a truly conscious postmodern (art) practice?What is the forward movement of art?An individual (artist) is also an organ of the collective (society).The truth is only we have the power to transform

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-25553950763160404002007-07-26T14:19:00.000-04:002007-08-04T12:07:56.491-04:00

Don't get me wrong, it is of value to write about ones work. Self reflection is necessary to articulate ideas that drive the work. Critical thinking informs the creative process, no doubt. I think writing and art production are close friends.Indeed, artists have the final word on their art. But, I don't paint when I write and I don't write when I paint. Research shows we use different parts of

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-60512952168350107012007-07-23T23:51:00.000-04:002007-08-06T16:43:15.775-04:00

Zen in the Art of Archery has got me thinking about why it is so difficult for artists to talk about their art. I'm beginning to think that there is more to it, than a laziness or an inability or stubborn unwillingness to articulate that keeps some artist from talking about their work. Maybe it has to do with the nature of art and the experience of creating?Students of Zen don't talk about "the

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-20689014165690155362007-07-18T12:21:00.000-04:002007-07-18T19:23:17.052-04:00

The meeting with Qimin proved extremely insightful. We looked at all my work from last semester. I shared the feedback I got from the residency and he offered his own critique of my work. In the Letterform Series, I was concerned that many people were viewing them as design exercises. He suggested I could push the painterly qualities with more texture to increase the differences between painting

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-52847250823097982932007-07-12T18:11:00.000-04:002007-07-16T19:03:14.657-04:00

I'm meeting Qimin Liu who is my new mentor at my studio this coming Monday. I've been organizing and preparing my studio for this meeting, after the whirlwind of residency. It will be good to discuss our plan for this semester. He is a fantastic painter and a knowledgable experienced teacher. He currently has work on exhibit at the Wadsworth Antheneum Musuem of Art in Hartford Connecticut, up

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-84277773450005738042007-07-11T11:03:00.000-04:002007-07-15T23:41:35.353-04:00

Last semester, my friend asked me to pick a card from The Voyager tarot deck http://www.voyagertarot.com/ She said I was suppose to meditate about what this card symbolized as I went through the semester. I picked "Ace of Crystals".This semester, my friend wanted me to pick another card, "Do one for each semester, she said." What the hell, I thought and picked "The Sun". Ok...If anybody wants to

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-89872419776305257262007-07-11T00:04:00.000-04:002007-08-03T16:58:31.866-04:00

June 22 The Beech Tree Inn is a quiet bed & breakfast in Brookline and was home for ten days. It wasn’t so quiet when I came to breakfast and saw Judith Barry,Dike Blair, Michael Newman, Jan Avgikos and Oliver Wasow show up at the breakfast table. John Chang rang the doorbell at 7 am and woke me up as my room was on the front porch. He had flown in from LA that morning. We were the only two

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708354617880213020.post-79099380524422172082007-07-10T23:48:00.000-04:002007-08-03T16:57:19.809-04:00

The end of the second residency at The Art Institute of Boston is the beginning of this blog. It was an amazing residency for me, check out the summary.

Rebecca Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616839928743623744noreply@blogger.com0