At the reception last Thursday, the “big hit” painting was my yellow triptych, a 5’ x 7’ piece. The one that was over my piano. The one that when Linda asked me to send it to her last spring when we were planning this show, I told her it would break my heart to part with it then, that I would send it closer to the exhibit. It was good to see it again and good that other people responded to it, connected to it as I do.
I seem to get two questions about my work lately: what is the inspiration and what do the titles mean. My usual, short-form answer is that the painting is the inspiration and the titles are the hardest part of painting and necessary just as people need names. So from my point of view, you really don't have to know a lot about painting to appreciate it. Just be there with it.
At the opening I was asked why I titled that yellow painting “Some Like It Blue.” (See January 2 entry for full explanation.) It was because I thought of it as a turning point painting, a hot painting, passionate, one that means a lot to me, one that I am still learning from. So I thought of the song “Some Like it Hot,” and just substituted Blue because this is about color and this painting is not blue. That makes sense, eh!
And by the way, here are the red and blue permutations that apparently do not go with the San Francisco light, but I am sure they will find a home soon:
