The Laws of Nature

Friday, May 21, 2010

The Laws of Nature

I like to devote my weekend blog to things other than reviewing art books. Today, I'll focus on the six paintings in my new series entitled "The Laws of Nature." The overarching concept for this series is to comment on the constraints of the physical laws of nature upon man's attempt to harness and utilize the energy and materials of the universe. The medium is watercolor on Arches CP paper and the size for each is 26" x 20". It takes about one full week to paint each one and I don't use any physical references but prefer to rely on intuition. More will be added to this series as I continue to interpret more "laws" in the future. These paintings are presented below in the order that I painted them:

The Law of Reciprocal Actions
To every action there is always an equal or opposite reaction. Or, the forces of two bodies on each other are always equal and are directed in opposite directions.


Entropy
The total entropy of any system cannot decrease other than by increasing the entropy of some other system. The chance of something becoming orderly is a lot smaller than the chance of something becoming disorderly.


The Universal Law of Gravity
Every massive particle in the universe attracts every other massive particle with a force which is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.


The Law of Inertia
The resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion. An object will always continue moving at its current speed and in its current direction until some force causes its speed or direction to change.
The Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics
If two bodies are each in thermal equilibrium with a third body, then all three bodies are in thermal equilibrium with each other.
The Law of the Conservation of Energy
The total amount of energy in an isolated system remains constant over time. Therefore, energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it can only be transformed from one state to another.

22 comments:

Celeste Bergin said...

This series truly shows your depth. Last night I watched a dvd "The Mysteries of Picasso"--This work reminds me so much of him--how Picasso "transformed" one thing into another (it is a breathtaking film)--that seems to be what you have done with these complex (and beautiful) paintings--(gave yourself freedom to "free associate") --they are "moving" both in content and emotionally. Brilliant.

Casey Klahn said...

This last one has a split or bent (cantilevered?) perspective, and the upright post provides juxtaposition. Very compelling. Lots of tension, which is sort of the wraith for energy. I would say there wouldn't be energy here without that. Brilliant.

The whole viewed together in this post, with comments, is a pleasure to view. My favorite art on the net right now!

Dan Kent said...

I love the feel of the new one. It is a wonderful addition to the series - different, with a softer feel, yet clearly a part. I am still amazed at how you so successfully jumped from one very unique, creative series that had served you so well, to another unique creative series. I know that there was some thrashing about in the middle, but for such a short time. This is such beautiful and skillful work!

Annelein said...

Your work is so fascinating! Wonderful colors and these pieces remind my of Escher's intricate mind-boggling work. Lovely...

hw (hallie) farber said...

I love the most recent one, Conservation of Energy.

Maybe your intuition is like gravity--attracting massive particles of insight for your paintings. You're shedding light on what can be gained by working in a series

Stan Kurth said...

I'm mesmerized by beautiful polished metallic icons spinning, meshing and protruding a concept: your brilliant perception of the laws of nature. This is an extremely intriguing and thought provoking series! Your well focused intention is awesome!

-Don said...

Kathy, This is some to of the most intriguing, mesmerizing, and beautiful work I have seen in a long time. I am blown away by each piece individually, and to see them together -WOW! Who knew the laws of nature could be so gorgeous?

-Don

Carolyn Abrams said...

Kathy, if we could have learned in high school about science through the artwork you have created I am sure i would have liked it a lot more! I am especially drawn to this last one. I have been studying it wondering why. I think because i see some familiar shapes possibly a tower? not sure. all i know is it is amazing!!

Unknown said...

Dear All - Thank you for your generous and constant support. You've given me so much encouragement to continue and I can't thank you enough!!

Hi Celeste - thank you! The great breakthrough for me in this series is creating "transformations" and the only way I could do that was by using my intuition. You're very astute in seeing that!

Hi Casey - thank you! Your analysis of "Conservation" is right on target. It was a delicate balance that I wasnt' entirely certain about at first, but I think it works.

Hi Dan - Thank you! Every five years or so I conjure up a new concept and approach for a series. Each one is a big departure from the previous. The emergence of this particular series was as difficult as other's I've pursued in the past. It took me all winter, and it took me 58 years!

Hi Annelein - Thank you! Escher's manipulations of perspective and orientation are mind-boggling. I don't know how he did it!

Hi Hallie - Thank you! Ever since I studied with Susan Webb Tregay years ago, I've worked in a series. Now, it's the most important way to move forward.

Hi Stan - Thank you! One of the greatest pleasures for me is focused concentration. It's rewarding to think as deeply as my few brain cells will allow.

Hi Don - Thank you! I'm rewarded by your constant and generous support :-)

Hi Carolyn - Thank you! The last one has a semblance of a tower, but that was purely accidental. I was enamored with creating that type of shape and I guess my subconscious used something familiar.

Anonymous said...

All of these are stunning! Gorgeous! Alive!
I notice that they are all in the Portrait orientation- will you change that as the series progresses?
And your most recent painting feels the most feminine to me.
Wonderful!!! And it seems like you are really enjoying this too.

Unknown said...

Hi Pam - Thank you! At this point I plan to paint the first twenty in portrait orientation for unity. That's enough for a small solo show and I would prefer that type of unity. After that, I'll probably work on very large canvases.

Eva said...

I'm so impressed by the complexity of theses paintings. How you layered all the pieces amazes me!

Dana Cooper said...

This is a most amazing series Kathy, congratulations, you are a truly gifted artist!

Joyfulartist said...

There is not much I can add to the comments except to say that these paintings are so exceptional and thought provoking. I say to myself, "Where does this kind of interpetation come from? How does a person get to this point in their art making?" It blows my mind. Thanks so much for sharing your work on your blog.

Unknown said...

Hi Eva - Thank you! Thelayering was something I tackled in the previous series with all the eggshells, so I was ready to apply it to this series in a different way. Each series builds upon the previous one.

Hi Dana - Thank you! I think that we all carry within us the "gift" of artistic expression. It's a matter of unleashing it. That's why I decided to rely on intuition with the series rather than observed references. This forced me to go to the core of who I am and express it outwardly. Honestly, I get more pleasure from this than from my previous work.

Hi Joyful - Thank you! The point, as I mentioned in my response to Dana, is to use whatever technical skills you've achieved and your intuition. I think that the deep recessed of our brains, and even the near consciousness, contain a wealth of information that we can translate into images. I haven't tapped much of this yet, but I want to keep working on it. However, that work also needs to be fun, and this IS!

Anonymous said...

Kathy- I also wanted to let you know that my latest blog URL is: http://pamoblog.blogspot.com/
I'm going to try not to engage the delete button this time- but I never know. I'd be honored if you'd join me. It's a little different direction for now.

Martha Marshall said...

Kathy, these are amazing in their complexity, full of motion and life. I found your post through Casey's link and so glad I did. Wonderful work!

Avalon said...

These are astounding pieces. Blessings of continued inspiration and expression!

Mark Sheeky said...

A brilliant series. I can see the trumpet shapes blasting out angular energy in the Conservation; a definite message of transformation but it took some time to see. I like the even balance of warm and cold colours here too, like a picture in flux.

I wonder how much detail are in these!

Unknown said...

Hi Pam - I'm so excited that you're back in the blogosphere!! Thanks for letting me know, and thanks to Dan for letting us know about your great website, too. Good to have you "back."

Hi Martha - Thank you! And, thank you Casey for the big nod :-)

Hi P.R. - Thank you!

Hi Mark - Thank you! You're adept at "reading" these paintings, especially the last one. I think they border on surrealism a little, but not as much as your work.

Harry Kent said...

a mezmerising, mind-boggling, mind-expanding, ingenius, beautiful, intricate, sophisticated, erudite and all-round amazing color-riot

gave me just the lift i needed this morning

Unknown said...

Thank you, Harry!! I'm honored and humbled by your high praise.