November 18th, 2003

Welcome to issue #2! I hope your week was filled with creativity and art appreciation.

As I write this, I’m exploring a new collection idea in Emprops OpenStudio. It was inspired by the research for the artist in this issue, and I’m attempting to put my own spin on a simple concept of ink bleeding into paper.

If I succeed, it might end up being published with their new contract for Ethereum…

Let’s dive in!

Artist Spotlight - Helen Frankenthaler

Career

Helen Frankenthaler was born on December 12, 1928, in New York City. She embarked on her artistic journey at the Dalton School, where she was mentored by Rufino Tamayo, a notable Mexican painter who introduced her to the world of modernist art. This early exposure played a significant role in shaping her artistic voice. Later, Frankenthaler continued her education at Bennington College in Vermont, where she honed her skills and deepened her understanding of art.

Her career took a significant turn in the early 1950s, marking the beginning of her ascent in the art world. Frankenthaler quickly distinguished herself with a groundbreaking approach to abstract painting.

Contributions to the Art World

Frankenthaler is best known for her contribution to the Color Field movement. She developed a technique called "soak-stain," where she thinned her oil paints with turpentine or kerosene, allowing them to soak into the unprimed canvas. The soak-stain technique allowed the colors to seep into the canvas, creating ethereal, watercolor-like effects that became a hallmark of her style. The effect was entirely new to the world of abstract painting.

Style

Frankenthaler's work is most notably characterized by its use of large-scale canvases, creating vast visual landscapes that invite viewers into a world of color and emotion. These expansive canvases were not just a backdrop but an integral part of her artistic expression, allowing her the space to explore and convey her ideas fully.

She had an exceptional ability to blend colors ranging from bold and vibrant to soft and muted, seamlessly transitioning between extremes. This range allowed her to create paintings that could evoke a multitude of emotions, from the intensity of passion to the tranquility of introspection. Her color washes were not just about hue but about creating a sense of depth and space, using color gradients and overlays to add dimension to her work.

Frankenthaler was skilled at using color to evoke specific moods and atmospheres. Whether through a bold splash of red or a gentle sweep of blue, each element of her work was carefully considered to create a cohesive emotional landscape. Her paintings often seem to exist in a liminal space, hovering between abstraction and a hint of the natural world, inviting viewers to interpret and connect with her work on a deeply personal level.

Influences and Lessons

Frankenthaler drew inspiration from the giants of Abstract Expressionism, yet she forged a path distinctly her own. She credits Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko as inspiration for her unique approach to abstract painting.

Pollock's disregard for traditional painting techniques and his embrace of spontaneity and the accidental resonated with Frankenthaler. It encouraged her to explore beyond the boundaries of conventional painting, leading to her own experiments with paint and canvas.

Rothko’s use of large blocks of color to evoke profound emotional responses showed her the power of color in abstract art. His ability to imbue his paintings with deep spiritual and emotional resonance inspired Frankenthaler to explore the emotional and expressive possibilities of color in her own work.

While taking cues from these masters, Frankenthaler's style evolved into a unique blend that balanced control with spontaneity. Her paintings often appear both meticulously planned and serendipitously accidental, a reflection of her careful consideration and willingness to embrace the unpredictable nature of her medium.

Frankenthaler’s willingness to experiment with new techniques reminds me of the importance of innovation in art, and how studying the masters can lead to new personal breakthroughs. Color is a very powerful tool for expressing emotion and creating a distinct mood within the art. She also became influential in a field that was dominated by men at the time, pursuing her passion regardless of the challenges and demonstrating the value of resilience.

Style Representation

Collectors Corner

bleaker.art - Hoopla

Artist Highlight - ofEden

I met ofEden a while back through the JAX Discord server and was immediately captivated by his lo-fi psychedelic/surrealist style and how aspects of Zen and spiritualism were woven into the pixels. When Deforum was released, he started creating fantastic animations and counts Claire Silver amongst collectors of his work. Here is his bio in his own words:

“Hello, I am ofEDEN, an artist hailing from the deep forests of Norway. I’ve been working in the creative industry for most of my career and art was always a hobby of mine. In recent years I’ve changed focus in my career and my art has as a result started taking up most of my free time outside work, a necessity to meet this obsessive need to create and express myself.”

ofEden, can you share a pivotal moment in your life that profoundly influenced your artistic journey and the themes you explore in your work?

I’ve been drawing and creating for as long as I can remember. I knew I was going into the creative industry from a relatively young age, so in that sense my creative journey started pretty early. A pivotal moment was getting our first computer and my hands on Photoshop 4.0 - we’re talking around ‘98, I believe all the experimenting in the years that came after, which lead to learning other things such as front-end coding etc, is the basis of most of my artistic expression, both as an artist and as a creative professional. I continuously experiment with new technologies and learn new stuff to achieve the expression I want to make.

In terms of the themes of my work, that is more recent. I’ve always had an interest in topics such as psychology, philosophy and consciousness, but as I became an adult and started focusing more on self growth, mental health and so on this interest only grew. That eventually led me down a spiritual path and this has had a profound impact on my life and consequently my art.

How do you navigate the relationship between personal vulnerability and public exposure in your art? Is there a piece of yours that felt particularly exposing to create or share?

While I think every artist exposes parts of themselves in any piece, a lot of the art I create are about concepts that are applicable to anyone and very open to individual interpretations. While they in some way express the way I view or approach things, they’re not necessarily divulging too many personal things either.

However, I don’t really think I put that much thought into navigating this, I think in a sense I create to express myself so it’s only natural there would be some exposure. What I want to express with a certain piece or series are in many ways more important than a fear of public exposure and vulnerability.

I did a series called «When The World Became Overwhelming», the final result was a page on my website with all the artworks, poems and text. It is a very personal project compared to most of the work I do, as it revolves around my own dealings with CFS/ME. I remember having thoughts about how revealing it kinda was, but it felt good to share it.

In what ways do your artistic practices and processes serve as a dialogue with your own identity, culture, or the larger issues of the world today?

Well, to a certain extent they are reflections on how I view and approach the world, sort of solidifying my own view of my identity. One of my favorite parts of doing art is the research. I learn a lot as I tend to explore quite a lot about the concepts I am trying to express through art, which usually means I go deeper on concepts that I’ve been aware about, but not have tipped too deep into - my reading feeds into art and the art feeds into my reading.

Art often requires a balance between discipline and spontaneity. Can you discuss a time when a spontaneous change of direction in your work led to a breakthrough or a significant change in your approach?

WIth the increasing efficiency of the tools we have available today, spontaneity is often a part of my process. While the discipline is to stop and finish before you go too far off the tracks. A few of my projects started out quite differently than they finished.

However, I try to finish my ideas, so what often happens to me is that the next project comes up while making the current. A happy accident can often be the solution to another project you’ve been thinking of.

Sometimes a project can spawn spontaneously in my head while just playing with tools too. Experimenting just for fun is important.

If you could have a conversation with one artist, past or present, who has significantly inspired you, who would it be and what would you ask them about their own creative practice?

While I don’t make too much art in that style nowadays, a big majority of my creations in life have been in the stylistic realm of graphic novels and comic books, so for this one I think I have to say Jean Giraud (moebius).

I would be highly interested in hearing about his process from start to finish, where his inspiration comes from and how he selects colors especially. While kinda alien, there is similarly something familiar about his works and I think hearing about these things would be fun and also learn a bit more about him and his experiences in life.

Are there any pieces or collections that you want to direct readers to check out?

I do have a few available pieces I’m fond of on my foundation profile!

Final Thoughts

Thanks for joining me for another week! Keep creating, keep supporting each other and find some time to enjoy the small things in life. I hope you enjoyed the time you spent reading this newsletter, and if you did would you do me a favor?

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On that note, I’ll leave you with a quote that makes me laugh.

Enjoy your weekend, friend!

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