Lita Albuquerque Essay
#32 Justin Bower (Visiting Painting)
#33 Lita Albuquerque (Response Painting)
I love collaboration and I have worked with numerous artists over the years with great results, but never had I collaborated with a thing, a painting. Not only was it a painting, but I didn’t even know the person (or persons) who had painted on it before.
So, here I was, the painting and me. It wasn’t a person I could react to or riff off each other as a synergistic combine; it was this static thing I had to contend with. And I had not done this kind of painting in years. I stared at it and stared at it, and got angry. I started putting in a background, I studied what was important in the painting and it was obviously the force of the gesture, I loved the dots, but felt the space was too illusionistic, a little too facile, I wanted to create something that would pop, but also keep the initial strength and power of the gesture. I could not get anywhere and was very frustrated and covered it over many times as it just was not happening.
Then one day I just got angry at it with my brushes full of white paint on the wet Payne’s Gray background and walked away. A few days later I came back and I thought, hmm, not so bad… I added a few red dots… so here it is. I am very happy with it and cannot wait to see the completed project.
The idea of the Circle of Truth is fascinating and seems very appropriate for this particular time. Who are we as individuals? The power of the many has always fascinated me. I cannot wait.