Blogging assignment #2: Part 2

Lisa Sanditz

"Wooden Toy Town"
"Miami of China"
"Behind the Borgata"

I feel like Sandtiz's work resembles mine in a couple of areas. The first thing that stood out to me was her use of ambiguous space, which can be seen in all three of the above pieces. She allows what could be sky, water, road, grass, etc... (the natural areas) to remain not fully defined. It is her color and brushstrokes that create the space, and the viewer is allowed to relate it to the surroundings for themselves. I attempted to do this in my last piece, letting the space above the stairs to remain ambiguous. I also relate to her use of color being a major tool in the depiction of space, light, and mood. Her concept in similar to mine in the exploration of the "sublime"--the broader, transcending experience that can occur in a place. Where we differ is Sanditz purposeful exploration of the role of the commercial in the sublime. Although I am not opposed to featuring a commercial area, it is not a political question I am currently interested in exploring. Although, I am interested in figuring out the role and balance that human activity/evidence of human activity plays in these experiences. Our process is similar in some ways, we both: initially work from photographs, use acrylic paint, layer color, explore markmaking, balance representational elements with abstract ones, and allow the painting process to become an exploration of the subject matter.

I could greatly benefit by following Sanditz's example of mark variety. She uses many different ways of applying the paint, each way is important to the object/area of the painting. For example: in "wooden toy town" she uses large, transparent blotches for the cotton candy like factory smoke, but then uses short, flat gestural lines for the "wooden" buildings. Her mark and subject are directly connected--I hope to get closer to this purpose and connection in my paintings. Also, the clarity of her concept. She is exploring an idea that is deeply interesting to me--the sublime, but she has made it more specific and relevant by connecting it to our modern landscapes and commercial surroundings. How can I make this idea and exploration of the sublime personal and unique to me?