Climate Maverick leaves NASA

warmth, 55″ x 66″,oil on canvas

Dr. James E. Hansen is a true modern hero. I did a painting called Warmth a few years ago which incorporated some of his climate temperature charts from a lecture he did about global warming. He is an amazing scientist and tireless advocate and I am grateful he is now taking the challenge to a new level, still doing science but focusing on communication with the public.

This ended up being a kind of past, present, future sort of piece. The 17th century Italian chandelier obviously a relic of a past time when this particular thing was made to last, took skill, and provided the function of light in a church (rare and may or may not have been enjoyed by the maker). The present would be represented by the holiday or Christmas string of lights. In contrast it is mass produced product of a consumer society. Not made to last very long, it does provide some light, readily available and usually suggests a festive or spiritual ‘warmth’. The background is from Dr. Hansen’s temperature charts of land masses colored according to obvious temperature changes….suggesting warmth in the future that will be available everywhere and could continue to actually produce more of itself.

http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2013/20130404_NYTimes.pdf

Dr. Hansen himself in response to the above article and then some.  http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2013/20130415_Exaggerations.pdf

I hate artist statements

The minute I try to define what it is I am trying to do as a visual artist is the minute it seems to become false somehow. Maybe because its a dynamic, ever changing thing. Just seems like explanations or artist statements miss the mark. “Its visual, its not verbal” – I’ve heard some say and have said this myself. It still doesn’t stop me from trying.

I know that some artist statements are really helpful as an entry into the work. In some ways I think we should disregard what an artist says – well, maybe read it and then forget it.  Or, just understanding that whatever an artist says, its not all-inclusive, its not equal to – the work. Writing in a kind of poetry or just lines of thought comes a little closer for me -  a list of words as concepts. Its about the mystery after all.  Its the “wow, what the heck is that? I’ve never seen that together”. Its formal aspects, its form as content, (its a mixture). Its what does this form/image mean here and now in our context – next to this form/image? Maybe its narrative, maybe its not. Its that in-between stuff.  Its a blah, blah, blah painting by Mel Bochner right about now!

I don’t always feel the need to define it, though its fun to come up with a word title that can go off in multiple directions and still remain open ended.

So here is some of my recent work.  Thanks for looking! Click on them for a larger view or go to my website http://www.candacefasano.com

alternating phase, 12″ x 12″, oil on wood

double etch trenches, 11″x14″, oil on wood

double exposure, 24″ x 24″, oil on wood

expansion, 12″ x 12″ acrylic on wood

E3G, 12 x 12, mixed media on wood

island, 11″ x 11″, acrylic on wood

A Rap is a poem too!

I love thrift stores, I think it goes back to my college days when I didn’t have any money. As a bartender at night while going to college during the day, all my money  went to  art supplies.  My best friend and I used to say we were “livin in the raw”, a nicer way of saying we were extremely cash challenged. When you can’t afford to just go out and buy it (whatever it is) you become really creative and resourceful. What I didn’t know was how much I would actually prefer to continue living with a similar philosophy, even when I was making more money. This is a great rap (the PG version) with a wonderful contrast to massive consumerism.

Some great advice from a great poet!

I love the poet Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926). Here is some advice he gives to all artists – it helps me, hope it helps you too.

“Your work needs to be independent of others’ work.

You must not compare yourself to others.

No one can help you.

You have to help yourself.

Criticism leads to misunderstandings and defeatism.

Work from the necessity and compulsion to do it.

Work on what you know and what your are sure you love.

Don’t observe yourself too closely, just let it happen.

Don’t let yourself be controlled by too much irony.

Live in and love the activity of your work.

Be free of thoughts of sin, guilt and misgiving.

Be touched by the beautiful anxiety of life.

Be patient with the unresolved in your heart.

Try to be in love with the questions themselves.

Love your solitude and try to sing with its pain.

Be gentle to all of those who stay behind.

Your inner self is worth your entire concentration.

Allow your art to make extraordinary demands on you.

Bear your sadness with greater trust than your joy.

Do not persecute yourself with how things are going.

It’s good to be solitary, because solitude is difficult.

It’s good to love, because love is difficult.

You are not a prisoner of anything or anyone.”

I have only one volume of Rilke’s work,  but if you love poetry this is a great one to check out – The Book of Images, translated by Edward Snow from the German language.

when does a recognizable image become unrecognizable?

 

 

 

 

Currently I am experimenting with either randomly made shapes that morph into something representational or I start with an image, in this case a cat, and stack on top to see how much can be covered up or camouflaged before it cannot be recognized as an image. I am still working with natural patterns as a ‘vocabulary’ or jumping off point. It relates to what I am interested in with all of the scientific interventions like mapping DNA, cloning, stem cell research, GMO’s, and what about this possible discovery of the ‘Higg’s particle’ or the God particle as it is also nicknamed. How will these developments change the fabric of the natural world I wonder? All are interesting food for thought for these visual explorations.