Happy New Year!!

I know it feels like I’ve fallen off the face of the earth but I’ve been hard at work trying to reach my goal of 50,000 words by the end of 2010. Unfortunately, I didn’t reach it. Ergh. My face just went crooked. I know this was a self-imposed goal and I think it was my way of getting into the habit of writing every day on the actual novel. Two weeks ago I wrote over 7,000 words and last week I reach 5,000 words. I also managed to pull together an application for a writing grant. * keeping my fingers crossed on that one. *

On Sunday, I finally, finally, finally went to the MOMA to check out the Abstract Expressionist New York exhibit. Despite the crowds, I still managed to have those moments when the crowd fell away and my body felt on fire experiencing these pieces first hand. There were Pollocks which always makes my heart beat just a little bit faster. Why does his work affect me so? I think he was having an encounter with God/Spirit/the Universe when he did some of his paintings. They crackle and sparkle with life. I get goose bumps when I look upon his work because he was onto something so profound and the only way he could transmit that experience was through his paintings.

And then there was de Kooning, I think as I’ve gotten older I’ve really started to appreciate his work. His one piece, A Tree in Naples is exquisite and the blue so vibrant and alive that I couldn’t help but just stay there and look for awhile. Lee Krasner’s Gaea was exciting to see and seems to bloom off the canvas. She has this spray/splatter technique that she used sparingly but it gives the piece movement. I was also pleased to see a painting by Joan Mitchell, Ladybug. I had mentioned discovering this artist for the first time over the summer so it was amazing to see one of her pieces in person. Oh, and Hedda Sterne’s New York, VIII captured the essence of New York City. Although it’s a dark piece, the light elements on the canvas gave it a hazy glow. Alfred Leslie’s, The Second Two-Panel Horizontal was subtle and understated with its bluish-grey hues and contrasting black fields but it made a gorgeous impact.

I sometimes struggle over the idea of buying prints of some of these pieces but realize the posters are such a flat medium in contrast to the thick impasto use of paints. For example, I think it was Richard Pousette-Dart’s piece, Desert who built up his canvas so thickly that it was a relief painting. A print couldn’t capture the beauty of that landscape. Anyway, looking at these abstract pieces reminds me that I miss painting. This year, I am going to make a concerted effort to spend some time in this creative medium again. I’ve been so focused on the writing that I haven’t allowed myself to play and explore the painting medium. Here’s to the creative life in the New Year. Cheers~

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