Harvest River - Art

Harvest River is a monochromatic piece featuring a single, enigmatic figure. The single color used in this piece is a darkened blue shade, evoking an image of water as seen in the darkness of night. The blue color is an allusion to the painting’s focus on the river, as blue is a shade typically associated with the cooling properties of water. The monochromatic color scheme of this piece evokes the flowing water that makes up the river’s substance.

Yet the shape of this figure is not obviously similar to a river. The segments of this figure disconnect, which is not typical of a river, which flows in a single straight line with branches flowing in or out. The shape of this figure does not seem like a natural river, but rather a symbol created by a human hand. This manmade shape represents the ritual associated with man’s understanding of nature. A symbol of the river’s impact on mankind, particularly in agriculture, this figure considers the historical tradition of mankind’s preoccupation with life-giving rivers.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Dancing Pants - Art

Dancing Pants is a dark piece dominated by deep, highly saturated colors. Movement is suggested by the sets of lines that make their way across the painting in several directions. This suggestion of motion gives the painting life and energy, evoking a frenetic, exuberant dance. The powerful nature of dance and its effects on the human psyche is captured in the strong, energetic lines of this painting.
Dancing has played a role in many different aspects of human culture throughout history. For example, dance is a significant factor in many religious rituals. Dancing is also a popular social activity, as well as a highly refined art form with many genres and styles. Dancing Pants captures both the grace and the power of dance, one of the oldest performing art forms in the world.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Lost Messenger - Art

In Lost Messenger, broad, vibrant strokes of red create a visually striking, abstract image. The monochromatic red color scheme used in this painting is arresting, the vibrancy of the red all the more apparent for its placement in a spare, white background. This minimalist piece is beautiful and memorable, its strong lines creating a striking design.

The red color chosen for this piece is a significant element in the painting, particularly given its abstract form and minimalist style. Red is a color typically associated with blood and war, and the “lost messenger” image alluded to by the painting’s title could represent loss through death. Blood is also associated with vitality and life forces, which could indicate that these are being lost, bled out of the messenger as he dies slowly, life force leaking out in an abstract pattern.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Seamonster Voodoo - Art

Seamonster Voodoo is a watercolor painting in muted colors. The sea swirls around the monster in dull, purple waves. The sea monster itself is long and is a natural green shade. The monster’s snake-like shape meanders through the painting, crossing itself several times so that it is difficult to determine where the beginning and end of the creature are actually located. The sea monster itself becomes something without beginning and end, an omnipresent, infinite force.

If the sea monster is something long lasting and powerful, it is interesting to note the color chosen to depict it. The sea monster is green, a color typically associated with nature. Perhaps the sea monster is a representation of nature, which was present before mankind existed and will persist after men have perished. The sea monster floats in a calm sea, nothing perturbing its slow meander across the canvas. Nature maintains its implicit power, despite the dangers present in the dark sea of the painting.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Railways - Art

Railways gives the viewer a vaguely naturalistic depiction of railroad tracks from an aerial perspective. Yet the railway is not entirely realistic in its portrayal, though its general shape is instantly recognizable. The tracks themselves are vividly colored in warm shades of yellow and red. These bright, warm colors stand out against their background of expansive gray. The red and yellow of this piece represent the heat and power of the train, which leaves the tracks veritably humming with energy and heat from the barreling speed of the train cars.

The red and yellow colors have additional significance, particularly if the viewer notices the yellow and red circles on either side of the railroad’s tracks. Seeing these circles of color, the changing colors of traffic signals are brought to mind. Red, used to indicate stop, and yellow, used to indicate a required decreased in speed, are used in this painting to show the changing speed of the train. Though the train itself is not actually depicted in this painting, the residual effects of the train’s passing along the tracks are visible in the touches of color that give Railways interest and vibrancy.


©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Flamed Rose - Art

In Flamed Rose a warm shade of red captures heat and light, along with the captivating power of fire. In the painting, ribbons of crimson seem to rise from the bottom of the painting’s landscape to the top, rising in plumes of heat. These red flames seem to be almost growing out of the ground, as a plant would, emerging from the soil and reaching for the skies. In a similar way, fire and smoke rises, and the painting draws an interesting parallel between the natures of fire and growing life.

In this painting, fire takes on a life of its own. It grows and blossoms from the soil. This fire also seems to have flowered, as well; a small, dark flower blooms on one fiery stalk. The offspring of the fire is unexpectedly dark, yet it is fitting, given the many dark substances left behind in the wake of a fire. Ashes, smoke, and charred remains are all the progeny of fire, and the dark flower in this piece represents these residual effects of a fire.


©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Chicas Locas - Art

Chicas Locas is a simple piece that uses ordinary shapes to create a memorable impression. In this painting, multiple circles crowd the painting’s frame, overlapping as if they are climbing on top of each other. This swarm of circles can be viewed as a group of people viewed from the top, a cluster of people captured from an aerial view. This group is frantic and swarming, which is shown by the way that the figures are pressing up against each other.

The title of this painting, Chicas Locas, translates to “crazy girls” in Spanish. This translation suggests that the figures in the painting are women, and that they are “crazy,” possibly caught up in the mindset of the group, pressing forward without any real self-knowledge or deliberate intention. Subscribers to the ideology of the group, these women climb over each other, blindly racing toward some unseen finish line.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Course Travel - Art

Course Travel is a colorful, highly abstract piece that captures the nature of travel and adventure. This painting contains a number of complementary colors, providing a vibrant image of brightly colored blocks spread across the painting’s landscape. A balance of both warm and cool colors exists in this painting, with cool greens and blues dispersed among the warmth of the yellow, orange, and coral swatches of color. This balance gives the painting a pleasing appearance.

The perfect balance of color in this painting reflects the nature of a good trip taken by experienced travelers. Providing a full and balanced sampling of the attractions of the area through which one travels, a well-planned, well-executed trip is as balanced as the color scheme in this painting. Course Travel is a vibrant painting that suggests that a positive travel experience is most likely to be had when activities are balanced and there is an ideal equilibrium of both rest and play.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Leafdom - Art

In Leafdom, a color scheme in shades of green evokes the lush vegetation of the natural world. The predominant color in this painting is green, a color associated with vegetation and natural life. Humans are genetically predisposed to respond to green, for green is the color of vegetation, and therefore life. Wherever plants can easily grow, so has humanity there thrived. The link between plant life and prosperity is an important aspect of human history.

Leaves are extremely important to plant life. It is in the leaf that the sun’s energy is collected to be used in the life-sustaining process of photosynthesis. A plant relies on its leaves to bring in its energy – it’s life force. Even more significantly, all energy consumed by living things in this planet is in some way derived from the solar energy absorbed in leaves. Herbivores eat plants, and carnivores eat herbivores, who have received energy from plants, and so on. All of the life energy on this planet is essentially derived from this amazing power of leaves to collect the sun’s sustaining energy.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Left Lane - Art

This unique piece is quite rewarding upon close inspection. The colorful painting gives an abstracted image of an aerial view of a beach. The sand and water are easily discernible, and some structure -- probably a hotel -- near the beach. However, the painting does not depict a typical beach scene. The lines of the painting are quite rigid and straight. The waves of the water are uniform, illustrated only by straight lines. The angles of the painting’s rectangular structure are severe and sharp.

This painting perhaps depicts a type of homogenized vacation spot popular among many people today. Cruises, and pre-packaged adventure have taken the place of genuine exploration. Travel is no longer a way of educating oneself about the world, but is now a franchised experience for which all the rough edges have been smoothed and the dangerous curves sanded off into uniform right angles. This piece is a visually pleasing and brilliant commentary on the modern vacation.


©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Raked Haze - Art

Raked Haze is an abstract piece that gives a whimsical perspective on the natural world. The “haze” alluded to in the title is depicted in the painting as a gray, blurry background with an almost fuzzy textural appearance. The gray haze appears transient and ethereal as the air, as though one might reach out and touch it to find it is not solid at all, but rather it is fleeting and transparent. Such a haze cannot be “raked” as such, for it is will disperse when touched.

Yet in this painting, the haze is in fact raked, shoved to either side by an unseen force that divides the haze like some residue on the surface of a solid object. The natural world in which the painting exists is quite surreal, and physical laws regarding states of matter and their respective characteristics are turned on their end. In this universe, air can be pushed aside, leaving nothing, a vacuum of blank white canvas in its place.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Random Thoughts - Art

In Random Thoughts, the mysterious nature of the human mind and its potential for strange, often dark, turns of emotion is depicted in a monochromatic piece giving a very dark overall impression to the viewer. The lines of the painting represent the path of the mind’s logic, trailing in a linear fashion from one topic to the next. The lines are not straight, for the human mind rarely works in a strictly straightforward way. Rather, the lines meander and cross each other, reflecting the inherent randomness and strange turns that are a part of human thinking.

Though the lines of the piece are quite interesting and move in very suggestive ways, the color scheme of the painting is very simple, allowing the shape of the image to dominate the piece. A simple charcoal color scheme allows this depiction of the mind’s process to revolve strictly around the shape and path that a random thought may travel while crossing the human mind.


©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Ethnic Identity - Art

Ethnic Identity uses freeform shapes and a black and white color scheme to invoke racial identity, bringing these important social issues to the forefront of the viewer’s mind. Three figures occupy the space in this painting. Two of the shapes, each positioned toward the outside of the trio of figures, appear to be circles, or rather cuffs. These cuffs are a symbol of subjugation, of a binding of the wrists. This hint of racial conflict sets the tone for the painting, which is an intriguing study of the social impact of slavery and racism.

The central figure is of even more significance in the context of the painting’s commentary on racial issues. This figure looks as though it had once been shaped similarly to the others, but it has freed itself from the cuff and is now straining to stand upright, reaching upward toward the sky. This figure represents the potential for healing and rejuvenation that is possible in the wake of great social injustice. Ethnic Identity is a provocative, intelligent work that provides a stirring message about race and society.


©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Working Life - Art

In Working Life, interconnected segments of color represent the power and potential of cooperative human effort. These vibrant colors complement each other, the brightness of the colors intensified by the careful placement of contrasting colors against each other. A comment on the nature of teamwork, the interaction of these colors creates a unified effect that is greater because of the interaction of these different parts.

The abstract image that is featured in this painting is enigmatic and not immediately recognizable. Yet closer inspection reveals the small, geometric image of a mop with a red handle. Following the hand to its end, the image of a human figure – very abstract and unusual – can be seen in the colorful shapes that make up this piece. Here is the painting’s assertion of the value of individual labor, the nobility inherent in spending hours toiling alone, without encouragement or interaction with others. Both types of work – individual and teamwork – are examined in this vibrant painting.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Painting in the air

It is a great day to paint and feel free. After a day of taking photographs, I will pick up the brush. :-)

Chokehold - Art

Chokehold is a monochromatic, dark piece that is composed of a single freeform shape. In this image, a broad arm of the figure comes down across the rest of the shape, giving the impression of choking or strangling. The broad arm that is strangling the figure appears much more substantial that the victim of its force. The figure being choke has an almost delicate appearance, its neck slender and apparently vulnerable to injury or severance.

The aggression captured in the painting is palpable. The aggressor relentlessly imposes its will and power upon its victim. The nature of oppression is depicted quite effectively in this piece. A stronger being suppresses the weaker, pressing down upon its victim with an unnecessary show of force and aggression. Chokehold is a piece with strong emotional significance, depicting effectively the strong emotions of fear, anger and aggression

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

naming my art

One of the most challenging parts of cataloging my almost 900 paintings is that I don't like looking at some of them without a name attached to it. I'm still working on naming the paintings in my cosmic series and some stragglers from the grey series.

Creativity

I am struggling with creativity today. The words are not flowing as easily as I would like. I'm going to do some writing exercises and take a walk and people watch.

Le Meutre - Art

In Le Meutre, a dark color scheme creates a mood of anxiety and danger. The monochromatic charcoal color composition of this piece creates a sense of darkness. Hidden dangers often lurk in darkness, and the gloomy, black appearance of this piece creates a sense of anxiety and fear. A source of fear for humanity, darkness is a menacing aspect of human existence, the night becoming a dangerous time during which the greatest misfortune can occur.

A French word meaning murder, the painting’s title invokes fear and suspicion. There has been a death here, and the mood of the painting supports this assertion. The broken shape that is the central figure in this piece represents the victim. The life has been severed, and it is no longer whole, and therefore, no longer valid. The artist has skillfully depicted death without gory details. Rather, the emphasis is on the life that is interrupted, its chain of events broken by a single, willful act.


©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Raised Sea - Art

A simplified vision of the waves of the sea, Raised Sea is an intriguing, monochromatic piece that gives an abstracted impression of rising seawaters across the globe. Condensing current day environmental issues revolving around carbon dioxide emissions and the greenhouse effect into a simple symbol with just a few uncomplicated lines, this painting encourages the viewer to think about these complex environmental issues in understandable terms. Simplifying this issue is quite useful, because many people cannot understand the many factors that contribute to the rising levels of water, but the effects can be felt in a single phenomenon that is quite simple and clear.

Different levels of waves that move across the painting show the rising level of water that is the result of global warming. Atmospheric carbon dioxide traps heat and sunlight on the earth, and as a result, ice that has previously been frozen in the polar ice caps melts, sending sea levels higher and higher. This gradual process is shown by the benchmark waves that are stacked to the top of the painting. A touch of whimsy is added by placing a boat atop the highest level, a symbol of mankind floating in the rising water.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Formless - Art

Formless is an abstract piece that provides juxtaposition between two very different figures. One figure that is featured prominent in this piece is a small, dense circle of black, so small in comparison to the other figure that it seems almost like a pinpoint. The other figure in this abstract piece is a freeform, expansive shape made up of widely spaced, thin lines. These two contrasting figures are placed near each other to serve as foils for one another.

The contrast between these two figures is clear. The wildly abstract lines of the larger figure are “formless,” as hinted in the painting’s title. This figure seems without planned shape or form, an abstract, chaotic image that stands in contrast to the small, highly organized circle by its side. This dense circle of color possesses all the qualities that the other figure does not – it has a distinct, recognizable shape, and it has easily discernible boundaries. The contrast between these two figures provides Formless with an interesting sense of competing states of being – organization versus chaos.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Flower Seeds - Art

Flower Seeds uses simple figures and a stark white background to examine the nature of the flower seed as it evolves into plant life. The seeds in this painting are portrayed as red and blue circles with whip-like tails emerging from one end. These whip-like structures represent the emerging plant life. The decision to portray these seeds in red and blue, unnatural colors for plant seeds, which are normally green, yellow, or brown, is an interesting one. Red and blue are primary colors, and the decision to portray these seeds in red and blue is a commentary on the fundamental, primal nature of seeds and their ability to produce life.

The stark white background used in this painting is also significant to note. Instead of placing these seeds in a brown background that represents the soil in which the seeds grow, as one might expect, the artist has chosen a bare, white background for this painting. The stark whiteness of the background indicates that before these seeds, life did not exist. These seeds bring life to a stark, sterile environment, reflecting the power of life to thrive even in hostile environments.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Fields - Art

Fields is an airy painting that gives the impression of open spaces without obstruction or crowding. The lines of this painting are well spaced, providing an open, uncluttered appearance. This openness reflects the view that meets the eye upon stepping into a newly planted field. In any direction, one can only see a vast expanse of growing crops and soil, no trees or buildings rising up on the horizon to block one’s view of the landscape.

The monochromatic, charcoal color scheme chosen for this painting is significant to note. A more obvious color choice for this painting, green is associated with plant life and new growth. Yet the artist has chosen to portray this field in an almost drab, colorless way, without any color to break up the expanse of the field. This decision focuses the viewer’s eye on the expansive qualities of the field rather than its ability to produce and nurture life. The never ending view and flat expanse of the field becomes the focus of Fields, a simple painting that captures the experience of standing in the middle of a seemingly limitless field.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

New World Flower - Art

A simple piece featuring a lone flower as the central focus, New World Flower is an intriguing painting that calls the viewer to contemplate a time in the past that was a significant moment in the history of the world. The new world flower alluded to in the painting’s title is in fact the first flower seen by the Europeans who first set foot in North America. Stepping out onto the newly found land, these men see a single, beautifully strange flower that is unlike any flower that they have ever seen before. This painting brings the viewer into the perspective of the first explorers, and it is a beautiful view of the first flower encountered by these men.

By focusing on a single, distinct feature of the experience of landing on a new continent, this painting gives a clearer, more striking impression of this moment in history than any realistic, expansive landscape could have accomplished. Because it is difficult to capture the enormous significance that this moment had because of its impact on the history of the world, the artist has cleverly boiled this moment down to a single detail – the discovery of a flower not yet seen before. This simple experience of finding a species of plant not yet seen before evokes the childlike wonder that many of the people landing on the newly discovered continent must have had. Discovering a mysterious flower is in many ways an insignificant occurrence, but it embodies the true strangeness of this unknown place

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

One Glides - Art

In One Glides, the elation and physical joy of flight is captured in a monochromatic piece. The figure in the painting glides through the air, its winged shape lifting its weight beyond the grasp of gravity, carried up and up by air currents under its wings. This painting visually depicts the way that an airplane or bird manages to fly, the aerodynamic shape of this figure mirroring the shape of birds of flight and airplanes built by mankind. A kite or hang glider also comes to mind when viewing this piece, its triangular shape a feature of any object or organism intended to fly through the air, carried along by air currents.

The choice of a monochromatic, dark color scheme for this piece is interesting. One might expect a field of blue to represent the sky, or a colorful figure of a kite or a scarlet songbird to represent flight. Yet the artist has chosen to depict flight in black and white, suggesting the essential and fundamental similarity of any and all objects and beings of flight. By making this glider abstract with no particular color, it takes on any shape and any color given to it by the viewer. In this way, One Glides becomes a representation of the abstract nature of flight, rather than the specific object or living thing that has experienced flight.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Over Backwards - Art

In Over Backwards, an abstract, dark figure occupies the central position in the painting. The figure in the painting is very human-like in shape. Though it seems to be bent over in the painting, it appears to be a being who would likely stand erect under normal circumstances. This person seems to be bent “over backwards,” as indicated by the painting’s title. In fact, the painting’s figure is depicted in a very unnatural position, its body bent backwards, as though painfully contorted. The pain revealed by this figure’s position is an indicator of the personal strife and difficulty that can be the result of trying to hard to please someone – often referred to colloquially as “bending over backwards” for someone else’s benefit.

The figure is also quite dark, with gloomy colors that reveal the state of mind of the figure in the painting. These dark colors show the depression that can develop when a person is not true to himself, but rather chooses to conform to the ideals and expectations of others. This choice to obey the will of others is one of the greatest mistakes a person can make, for it is only by staying true to oneself that happiness can be found. Over Backwards is a revelatory painting that illustrates the importance of being true to one’s own wishes and most genuine personal desires.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Evolution Centered - Art

In Evolution Centered, the nature of creation and evolution is examined in broad strokes and bright colors. In this piece, a meandering yellow line moves across the surface of the painting in broad, winding strokes. Arranged in approximate alignment, three dense, orange circles are interspersed between the bends of the broad yellow line. These orange circles become a focal point in this piece, their central position drawing the viewer’s eyes.

The alignment of these orange circles in this painting connotes the slow, linear progression of evolution on our planet. The meandering yellow line represents the passage of time, while the orange circles represent evolutionary stages in a particular species. Evolution occurs in short bursts interspersed in longer periods of less change, a process that is captured skillfully in this painting. Though the yellow lines meander slowly across the page, revealing the passage of many years without significant evolution, the evidence of adaptive changes that indicate that evolution has taken place can be lined up to tell the story of the progression of one species through the process of evolution.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Effort - Art

Effort is a dichromatic piece that uses contrasting colors and strong lines to invoke an emotional response in the viewer. A rosy pink shade stands in stark contrast to a dark, menacing gray background. This contrast produces a dichotomous mood in the painting – the juxtaposition of rosy optimistic with dark, cloudy pessimism. The rosy pink arc of the figure in the painting represents positive thinking and its potential for happiness, while the dark background represents the challenges to optimism that exist in the world.

Yet the pink figure appears to remain strong in the face of these challenges to a positive interpretation of the world. The figure’s lines are strong, and the ribbon of pink is broad and appears substantial. The figure rises with vitality in a triumphant posture. The grayness of the background only serves as a foil to illuminate the bright pink color of the figure; it does nothing to dampen its optimism or power. Effort is an optimistic piece that reveals that, though it takes some effort and hard work, maintaining a positive attitude in the face of adversity is both possible and rewarding.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Cosmic Series almost complete

85 or so paintings in this series.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Fertilization - Art

Fertilization is an intriguing, freeform painting that captures the essence of fertilization and the creation of life. The abstract figure that is the focus of this painting is portrayed in a drab gray shade, as though it is a formless type of matter that can be molded into any type of creation. This shapeless, characteristic- free substance reflects the potential of this form, particularly its potential to grow into an as yet undetermined life form.
The shape of the figure is also important to note. Two segments of gray material appear to be coming into “dock” into two corresponding spaces on the larger figure in this piece. These two segments complete the figure, finalizing the fertilization process and creating a whole being that can now grow into a living organism. This completion, the coming together of the male and female components, or reproductive cells, is the central concern of Fertilization, an interesting, colorful painting that reflects the nature of the fertilization process in living things.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Graved Yards - Art

In Graved Yards, dense, dark clouds of black represent the oppressive and ever-present threat presented by death. Black, a color long associated with death and morning, features prominently in this piece. The black color in this piece is thick and highly saturated, making it a strong force. Death is powerful force in this painting, capable of decimating even the strongest life force. No matter how strong or powerful any living being is, death is the one force that can easily decimate all.

The fear of death is ever-present, just as the darkness fills the landscape of this painting. The certainty that death will come is the one constant piece of knowledge that all human have. In fact, it is this very knowledge of our own mortality that distinguishes mankind from animals. The only species that is aware of our own vulnerability to death, mankind is unique. It is this understanding that elevates mankind both intellectually and spiritually. In this way, the expectation of the grave is truly an essential component of human nature.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

New Visions - Art

New Visions is a vibrantly colorful, abstract piece that captures the essential experience of seeing things anew. The juxtaposition of the beautiful colors in this piece is significant. Shades of cool green are framed in blazing red, and an orange shade is edged in blue. The artist has placed complementary colors together in order to illustrate that the comparison of two opposites can often bring a new understanding of each thing or idea. By placing the cool shades right alongside their opposite warm colors, the vibrancy of each color is enhanced, and these colors seem fresher and more compelling.

Similarly, the juxtaposition of opposites in life can bring about a new understanding of individual items of comparison. A “foil” is the literary term for such an object that, when held up against its opposite, serves to highlight certain features and characteristics of its opposite. A better understanding of both the foil and its opposite is gained by the juxtaposition of the two. Writers have used this technique for centuries, from ancient myths to Shakespeare to contemporary literature. New Visions is the artistic equivalent of this longstanding literary tradition, juxtaposing color so that the viewer will have a better appreciation for each colors unique qualities and vibrancy.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Spoken Word

I have a new inspiration for writing. I have begun working on 2 spoken word pieces. I think I will limit them to two minutes. I will post in a couple of days.

Photography

The photographic series entitled "entrapment" is complete. Will definetly have to do some small adjustments. Thisa is the beginning of a 52 part series

Respect as Currency - Art

In Respect as Currency, a single, dark figure creates a menacing mood in this abstract, monochromatic piece. The “key” depicted in this painting is both frightening and captivating in its power. A key is a symbol of potential, for it unlocks doors that were previously inaccessible. This power can be used for both good and evil, for great and terrible things might lie behind locked doors. The potential of the key depicted in this piece is for both good and evil, giving this image an ambiguous meaning.

The abstract shape of the figure in this painting allows the viewer to interpret the significance of the doors this key might unlock. The warped image of the key suggests that the key might unlock something unusual or strange. This strangeness can be both frightening and exciting. The key comes to represent curiosity about what lies behind the door, yet also fear of the repercussions of freeing unknown dangers. Key is a powerful piece that leads the viewer to contemplate the nature of the unknown and the many emotions it can evoke.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Separated Creation - Art

Separated Creation is a beautiful, affecting piece in a monochromatic color scheme made up of shades of black. This piece depicts the creation act as it occurs. The creative force, represented by the dark, black arm in the painting, drops off each object of creation, which is represented by a black circle. One edge of the black arm is indistinct, to show the breaking away of the created object. The created objects or beings are then deposited into their own private, isolated planes of existence.
In the world of the painting, isolation occurs immediately after creation. Created objects and beings are doomed to isolation from the first moment of creation. This is the painting’s most alarming impression – that we are created separate and alone, deposited into isolated planes of existence that are separated by hard black lines. These hard black lines represent the limiting beliefs that maintain the separation, such as prejudicial beliefs, economic hardship, and other ills of society. From our creation, these barriers maintain a lonely separation.


©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Monarch - Art

In Monarch, the traditional image of a monarch butterfly is abstracted and used as an inspiration for improvisation using simple, elegant lines. As the title indicates, this butterfly is no typical monarch butterfly. Just as consonants in the first syllable of the monarch’s name are inverted in the painting’s title, the image of the butterfly is mildly distorted in its shape. The butterfly’s shape is loose and abstract, its body extended unrealistically past its wings.
The beautiful red color of the butterfly in the painting is vibrant and warm. The warmth of the red butterfly captures the light and energy of the butterfly. This bright color is also an indicative representation of the colorful wings of a monarch butterfly. Yet the painting maintains its abstract qualities, as the butterfly is depicted in an unusual monochromatic color scheme, with no distinction in color being made between the butterfly’s wings and body. Monarch is a playful, abstract piece that gives a beautiful, unique portrayal of a butterfly admired across the world.


©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved