In Print 16 | Aug



“Out of Hibernation” 40″x40″ 13 | Aug


On the Easel for upcoming solo show.
(40x40 oil on panel)

Bird Watchers 12 | Aug


[image: Flint_Bird Catchers_2017_oil on canvas_60x72.jpg]
Bird watchers, 60" x 72", oil on canvas.

*Bird Catchers *is a great example of my practice where I rely on the
subconscious to evolve the painting through its various phases without a
predetermined end point. If a work develops to a stage where it has lost or
lacks adequate tension, I’ll employ digital software to incorporate or
remove subject matter. By utilizing digital tools I can test new elements
or alter the current aspects found within the painting. I’m reminded of
T.S. Eliot, who called this phase ‘critical labor;’ the labor of sifting,
combining, constructing, connecting, and testing of imagery. I move freely
between traditional and digital tools until I’m satisfied with the
direction. This isn’t a strict approach but one that allows plenty of
fluidity of thought and flexibility in my practice. The two dancers in *Bird
Catchers *were in a variety of environments before the iceberg laden ocean
setting that exists in the painting today.


I'm reminded of Conrad Martin, the artist that traveled on the HMS Beagle
with Charles Darwin to record the landscapes and animals new to Europeans.
The voyages brought the human back closer to the environment versus the
separation that culture had pushed for centuries. You can see this in how
the figures merge or dissolve with the surrounding environment. The cycles
of the seasons and the passage of time are echoed in the diagonal
multi-present sun arching across the sky which connect the two figures. The
idea of time, seasonal change, memory, and the nature of recollection is
also present with the two dancers alongside the iceberg off in the
distance.


This painting is available and can be viewed in the gallery.

Taking press photos… 07 | Aug


...for an updated version of my life had me thinking about all the cool studio spaces I’ve had in 25 years of painting. Two of the coolest though have been with Robert Lange Studios. Thanks R&M! And feel free to drop by this one anytime from 11am-5pm. 2 Queen St. Charleston, SC 29401

15th Anniversary WIP 07 | Aug

{CAPTION}

{CAPTION}






Combining my photoshoot with Jennifer and my trip to the ever inspiring Hawaiian Islands. Work-in-progress for the 15th Anniversary Show. 16x16 oil on panel.

Jessica

Electric Dream 05 | Aug


[image: Flint_Electric Dream_2017_oil on canvas_60x40.jpg]
Electric Dream, 60" x 40", oil on canvas.

Onlookers gaze in unison at the interaction between a man and two women,
one is clothed the other is not.



A neighborhood of box-like, modern homes are illuminated by those inside.



Two children are watching it all unfold.



Does *Electric Dream*touch upon an Orwellian theme? Is it a scene of
ritualistic activity to bind a community? Or, is it a conglomeration of
dreams where multiple storylines are made coherent in recollection? It
depends on your viewpoint.



The methodology with which I build my paintings leaves room for the
unexpected. I began this painting not knowing the exact outcome. Starting
with the subject matter: the man measuring the woman in the background. I
saw this interaction filled with multitudes: As a loving gesture between a
couple, as a clinical examination, or simply functional, much like a tailor
would use to make a dress. This tension is important and allows for the
rest of the painting to evolve. Throughout various stages, unexpected
topics or contemporary concerns can arise. This is very much the case
with *Electric
Dream. *



This painting is currently available and in the gallery. I’d encourage you
to expand your interpretation of the painting by rearranging the hierarchy
of the main elements and see where you land. Let RLS (@robertlangestudios)
and me(@studioflint) know on Instagram what you see.



New Painting: Axis Mundi 30 | Jul






I'd like to share a new painting, a study, and my thoughts.

*Axis Mundi*, 60” x 84”, oil on canvas, 2019. ©Joshua Flint
[image: IMG_4394.jpg]

*Study for Axis Mundi, watercolor, 14"x 17", 2018*
[image: Axis Mundi Study.jpeg]

The title, *Axis Mundi, *references the philosophical idea of the perceived
center of the world. The location where the land and sky meet where lower
and upper realms communicate. Unlike many cultural traditions that view an
elevated geographical feature or object as a symbol of this connectivity,
my painting follows in the footsteps of art history with Leonardo Da
Vinci’s *Vetruvian Man *containing the idea of the human body as
representative of this convergence. In my painting there is a convergence
between the set of young woman (and their table), the alligators, and the
standing figure, much like the funneling from tree canopy to roots, and
vice versa. The interaction of humans with serpents has long been depicted
in art history, from Raphael’s *St. Margaret*(1518) to Guido Cagnacci’s *The
Death of Cleopatra*(1660), up to the present day with many versions in
popular film. The painting becomes a modern day myth following in line with
these historical and contemporary antecedents. (Artwork mentioned above
included at the end. There are many antecedents but I chose these three as
my examples.)



The Axis Mundi story is one of a number of stories invented and told to
explain the world throughout the history of civilization. The painting is
the embodiment of personal mythology combined with factual events to
properly represent how we create an identity. These stories are catalogued
for future tellings and shape who we are and who we become. The
“fantastical” choice for the palette reflects the nature of memory, which
is laden with exaggerated, inaccurate, or unnervingly specific hues of
color. These colors take on more significance as we draw on a memory,
reinforcing our attachment to that event. The lens of color can shift our
entire emotional system into unexpected terrain and, ultimately, shaping
and reshaping our own sense of self. A human isn't a stable 'thing' but a
happening. The painting presents a version of this idea.



On a human level the young woman are experiencing the sublime, the balance
between the rush of being alive in a dangerous situation while exhibiting a
sense of agency and control, which is imposed by the faceless
guardian. The alligators take on realistic and abstracted forms, where
unexpected applications of paint give way to proper depiction, imbuing the
uncanny or mystical to their presence.


Leonardo Da Vinci, *Vetruvian Man*, circa 1490
[image: 662px-Da_Vinci_Vitruve_Luc_Viatour.jpg]


Raphael, *St. Margaret*, 1518
[image: Raffael_101.jpg]


Guido Cagnacci, *The Death of Cleopatra, *1660
[image: 713e9O0qhAL._SX466_.jpg]


Thank you for allowing me share my thoughts on the origination of my recent
painting, *Axis Mundi*.


If you are interested in the painting or the study please contact the
gallery.


Triptych Commission 11 | Jul


Finished Commission 72"x30" Titled "Cold Embers"

David Painting 21 | Jun















Categories


Blog Archives

ROBERT LANGE STUDIOS

TWO QUEEN ST, CHARLESTON

Robert Lange Studios