Thaw

18" x 24"

oil on panel

Here in Western New York, it is very exciting to see the first bit of ground showing through melting snow (I painted this two weeks ago; I confess). It is on par with the robin and the crocus, and Thaw is a celebration of that moment. The bottom is heavily textured in contrast to the light top; the short, varying brushstrokes owing something to Van Gogh (that link is to a very nice website on Van Gogh, by the way).

The beginning of spring is interesting for the change of substances: snow to water, frozen ground to mud. It calls to attention the alchemist in me. At MassArt, painter Marcia Lloyd took a few students to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and pulled me aside to look at a painting of an An Artist in His Studio by John Singer Sargent. She told me that I am a "Sensualist", meaning that I paint in a way that transforms or translates not just the texture but the essence of material into paint. In the example, Sargent made paint become light reflecting off the artist's bald head, the flesh of ear, blankets, wood, ceramic, the paint on a palette and the paint in a painting. It involves using more senses that pure sight while making art. That is as metaphysical as Art Weekly is going to get.

One other thing I found interesting when looking up "sensualist" is the connection mentioned between indulging in the senses as a means to happiness. It makes one think of the opposite: the way studies have shown that sensory deprivation leads to depression. Relaxation methods often try to awaken senses through fragrance, touch, sound (lotion, massage, candles, music, etc.). Thaw is also about being able to spend more time outdoors (and thus have more sensory experiences = increase in happiness?).

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
SensualistSen"su*al*ist\, n. [CF. F. sensualiste.]
1. One who is sensual; one given to the indulgence of the appetites or senses as the means of happiness.
2. One who holds to the doctrine of sensualism.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

Bibliography:

American Psychological Association (APA):
sensualist. (n.d.). Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. Retrieved April 14, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sensualist
Chicago Manual Style (CMS):
sensualist. Dictionary.com. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. MICRA, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sensualist (accessed: April 14, 2008).
Modern Language Association (MLA):
"sensualist." Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. MICRA, Inc. 14 Apr. 2008. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sensualist>.
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