12:15

Oil on Canvas

This painting entitled  “12:15” is as much about theoretical thinking as it is about the paradigm shift in current art thinking. It appears that art especially abstract art needs to be supported by the text  that accompanies it. Representational or figurativism by its very nature tells its own stories. The subject matter is readily apparent to the viewer, you know like a painting of a dog running entitled “See Spot Run” no one is going to spend hours at least no one in their right mind is going to spend hours describing this type of painting.

Now show me a non-objective (Abstract) work of art and you will get reams of documents, symposiums, art lectures, theorists, art curators, art advisors and plane old lay people like your mother or your dear aunt Mildred all desperately trying to come up with brilliant philosophical ways of describing what you painted on canvas under the impression this was just a really cool way to use your art materials.

Without a care in the world I created the painting “1215” on a small canvas which is not my usual modus operandi and from leftover paint that was starting to dry. Start to finish give or take… maybe 30 minutes and it was  Done and Done.

The hardest part was giving the work it’s name and I’m sure some of the before mentioned pontificating disciplines can extrude a deep philosophical meaning that no doubt will take hours to explain. Maybe a PBS documentary, just think of the possibilities.

Put quite simply “12:15” derives its name from the composition of sequential elements like the white squares and the maroon picket fences. You can make a visual count, but there is more to this work The background and the ragged edges create down so the I has a range of visual explorations. You may be asking? What are the blue bars for, well the quick answer could be more leftover paint from a previous work. If you are obsessive and liked count things go ahead and count the blue bars didn’t they do not add up to any number that is reflected in the title they really just there to create some dimension. Or is we artist like to say adjunct feasting for the eyes and philosophical mind to explore.

Cheers mate talented friends

Rod Jones Artist