March 2nd, 2024

Happy Saturday! I hope everyone had a great week. The end of the month is always a relief for me; at my day job, responsibilities ramp up about mid month and by the time the last day rolls around I’m exhausted from so many meetings. It’s even more challenging being an introvert since most of that busyness involves meetings with my team and doing 75% of the talking. So with that being over, I can finally relax. Does anyone else find themselves in the same boat? Cheers to alone time! 👏 

A quick intro before we get to the artist deep dive this week…I found this artist when I was looking for a particular style to draw inspiration from. The vibe I was looking for was simplistic and nature focused. I think this artist really nails that aesthetic and I was hyped to stumble across her. In the spirit of what this newsletter was created to provide, I’m sharing her work with you in hopes that the inspiration can be shared.

Artist Spotlight - Lois Dodd (1927- ?)

Career

Lois Dodd, born in 1927 in Montclair, New Jersey, was drawn to art from an early age. Her decision to attend Cooper Union in New York City was pivotal, exposing her to the rigorous training in drawing and painting that would form the foundation of her artistic practice. After graduating in 1948, she became an integral part of the New York art scene, co-founding the Tanager Gallery in 1952. This artist-run cooperative gallery was crucial for Dodd and her peers, providing a space to exhibit their work amidst the dominance of Abstract Expressionism. It was here that Dodd began to forge her path, focusing on landscapes, city scenes, and interiors, rather than the abstract and conceptual modes prevalent at the time.

In the late 1950s, Dodd began spending summers in Maine, a practice she would continue for the rest of her career. The landscapes of Maine, with their distinctive light and rugged terrain, became a central subject of her work. Dodd's paintings from this period capture the serene and transient beauty of the natural world, often painted en plein air to capture the immediacy of her experience. Her influence extended into academia through her teaching positions at Brooklyn College and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, among others. Her pragmatic approach to painting and emphasis on direct observation influenced generations of artists.

By the 1980s and 1990s, Dodd's work began to receive broader recognition. She was celebrated not just for her landscapes but also for her intimate interior scenes and depictions of the human figure, often infused with a quiet, contemplative mood.

Her later career was marked by several major exhibitions, including retrospectives that highlighted the breadth of her work and her contributions to American art. Despite the art world's shifting trends, Dodd remained committed to her artistic vision, continuing to paint with the same dedication and keen observation that had always characterized her work. Dodd received numerous honors and awards throughout her career, acknowledging her role as a significant figure in American art. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters and received the Benjamin West Clinedinst Memorial Medal, among other accolades.

Contributions to the Art World

At a time when abstract expressionism and later, conceptual and minimalist art dominated the American art scene, Dodd maintained a focus on direct, observational painting. Her work celebrates the act of seeing and translating the everyday world onto canvas, emphasizing the value of personal experience and perception in art.

She revitalized landscape and figurative painting, demonstrating that these traditional genres could still be sources of profound artistic innovation and exploration. Her work, especially her intimate views of New York and the landscapes of Maine, offers a fresh perspective on familiar subjects, encouraging viewers to see the world with renewed attention and appreciation.

Dodd has been a steadfast practitioner of painting en plein air (outdoors), regardless of the season. She often painted the landscapes of Maine and New York in all weather conditions, demonstrating her commitment to capturing the immediate sensation of a place. Her dedication to working directly from life is a testament to her belief in the importance of personal observation and experience in art, inspiring many other artists to step outside and become one with the environment they are painting.

As a woman artist co-founding a gallery and carving out a significant career in the mid-20th century, Dodd broke through many of the gender barriers in the art world. Her success and visibility have paved the way for future generations of female artists, making her a role model for women in the arts.

Style

Dodd's paintings are deeply rooted in the act of observation. She paints from life, whether capturing the landscapes of rural Maine, the streets and gardens of New York City, or the quiet interiors of homes. This direct engagement with her subjects allows for a freshness and immediacy in her work, as she seeks to translate her visual experience onto the canvas with honesty and precision.

One of the hallmarks of her style is her economy of detail. She has an ability to distill her compositions to their essential elements, stripping away unnecessary details to focus on the core of the subject. This results in paintings that are both sparse and richly evocative, inviting viewers to fill in the gaps with their imagination. Her use of light and color is subtle yet powerful. She often paints at transitional times of day, capturing the fleeting effects of light and shadow that give her subjects a sense of temporality and mood. Her color palette is typically restrained but punctuated by moments of brightness, lending her scenes a vibrant, sometimes unexpected, life.

Dodd's compositions are carefully considered, often featuring unexpected viewpoints or cropping that lend a dynamic quality to her work. She frequently uses windows and doorways as framing devices, creating layered compositions that play with the boundaries between interior and exterior, foreground and background.

While best known for her landscapes, her figurative paintings reveal a similar attentiveness to the nuances of gesture and presence. Her figures, often friends or acquaintances, are depicted in moments of everyday life, imbued with a sense of individuality and quiet dignity.

Influences and Lessons

Dodd was influenced by several influential figures and movements. Fairfield Porter’s intimate, realist paintings of landscapes and domestic scenes had an impact on Dodd. Like Porter, Dodd focuses on the beauty in everyday surroundings, using a similar directness in her approach to subject matter and light. The work of Edward Hopper can also be seen as an influence on Dodd. Hopper’s emphasis on the emotional resonance of ordinary scenes resonates with Dodd’s own interests.

The Ashcan School's commitment to portraying everyday life in urban environments with honesty and vigor have also influenced Dodd. This movement’s focus on realist, accessible subject matter aligns with Dodd’s artistic values.

Dodd’s work exemplifies the importance of working from life. This practice encourages artists to develop a deep connection with their subject matter and hones their observational skills. Her ability to distill scenes to their essentials, both in composition and detail, teaches that simplicity can often convey profound beauty and emotional depth. The steadfast focus on her chosen subjects, despite changing art world trends, underscores the importance of staying true to one’s artistic vision and interests.

Dodd’s paintings remind us that beauty and significance can be found in the most ordinary settings. This perspective encourages both artists and viewers to appreciate the nuances of daily life.

Style Representation

Collectors Corner - 4everKurious & Ira Greenberg

4everKurious - More Long Legs and Tall Trees

When I minted this piece, I knew I had to feature it this week. A truly ambitious project, Ira Greenberg is reinventing the 10k PFP collection with his new drop “Avatars of Goa”. Taking full advantage of the variable system in the Emprop’s OpenStudio, this collection has extensive trait values for deities, artists, emotions, mediums, color/fauna/entity modifiers and more.

The soft muted pallets remind me of pre-Stable Diffusion 1.4 launch, when I was fortunate to be invited to alpha test and rate the checkpoints that would later be released. This takes me back to experiencing an entirely new diffusion model that was miles ahead of anything else at the time.

There’s still plenty to discover, the mint stands at 2,288 out of 10k minted as I write this. At 1 Tezos, this might be cheapest PFP collection out there. Certainly the most artistic, that’s for sure.

Ira Greenberg - Avatars of Goa

Have you checked out the deforum web app yet? It was recently updated to add initial images to control the start of the animation. There’s a TON of motion presets to choose from and if you haven’t checked out the documentation yet you might have missed the preset overview page. Before you start using up your credits, definitely check that out to preview the various presets.

Final Thoughts

This is one of my favorite animations I’ve created with the deforum web app. It’s simple. And I like simple.

As always, if you enjoyed this edition I would really appreciate if you shared it. Just hit the share button below. And if you’re not following me on X yet, I’d love to follow you back.

On that note, I’ll leave you with a quote to celebrate the warmer days and nights I’ve been glad to see finally arrive:

Enjoy your weekend, friend!

P.S. If you have feedback I’d love to hear it! A reply to this email goes directly to me.

Disclaimer: objkt.com links may include referral codes that provide a small commission to me at no cost to the collector; commissions are paid from objkt’s fee that they charge for each transaction.