Curtsy - Art

In Curtsy, an abstract, faceless form bends in a traditional gesture of respect. The figure in the painting is defined primarily by its long arms and legs, appendages that are much more prominent than the figure’s head. This focus on the limbs, rather than the face and head, dehumanizes the figure, making it an abstract form without personality or a soul. The figure is diminished and subjugated to the authority to which it curtsies.

Indeed, the curtsy is a gesture that suggests inferiority, a traditional motion that is intended to indicate the superiority of one person over another. The subjugating nature of this action is captured powerfully in Curtsy, the figure in the painting bent and faceless, serving as a nameless example of inferiority, the identity of the figure completely subverted and erased by this humble action.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Secret Garden - Art

In Secret Garden, a landscape featuring the simple figures of a group of flowers is powerful. The monochromatic red color scheme of this piece is intriguing. Red flowers are commonly found and not difficult to imagine, but everything in this painting is red, including the ground and sky. The expansiveness of this red color creates a sense of danger and excitement. Red is a color often associated with warnings, and the nature of this secret garden seems yet uncertain – is it a peaceful refuge or a dangerous place?

The way that the sky is depicted in this piece is also quite interesting. With a great streak of color, the sky appears to be swooping down across the tops of the flowers. The sky appears to protect the flowers, yet the extreme movement of the sky is also somewhat threatening in nature. Hidden danger seems to lurk in this garden, and the sky is a forbidding reference to this unseen threat.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Prisms - Art

Prisms is a study in the refractive power of the prism, which is a powerful natural phenomenon with the capacity to split white light into the colors of light that combine to create pure, white light. Blocks of color in this painting are quite vibrant, and almost jewel-like in nature. The geometric, sharp edges of the blocks are like the sharp edges of a cut precious stone. Like the prism, these transparent jewels reflect and refract light in multiple directions.

The full range of the color spectrum is represented in this piece. From black to blue to yellow to red, the colors shine in this piece with the power of reflected light. The blocks of color seem to emanate from a central point, potentially the location of the prism alluded to in the painting’s title. Like light from a prism, the colors spring forth from a single point. Prisms is an interesting depiction of this captivating naturally refractive power.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Morning Communion - Art

Morning Communion is a monochromatic piece with clear, vividly drawn lines that are alive with motion. The arcs and curves of the lines seem natural, rather than artificial, and the painting becomes an abstraction of a scene in nature, a calm morning in the forest with a gentle, spiritual ambience. The forest is a hallowed ground upon which this morning communion takes place. In the abstract lines of the painting, one can make out the forest’s foliage, trees and flowers. It is here in this natural beauty that a person can make a meaningful spiritual connection.
Communion is a significant ritual in the Christian faith, yet this painting seems to evoke a different kind of communion. Featured in this piece is the importance of taking the time to build a communion – or togetherness—with nature and the beauty of the natural world. Personal growth accompanies this new appreciation for one’s surrounding, and Morning Communion moves the viewer to re-evaluate his or her priorities, perhaps deciding to take more time to appreciate the beauty around us.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Lonely - Art

In Lonely, a single, dark orb, cut off from all contact by the dangerous elements of its environment, inhabits a desolate landscape. The dark, monochromatic landscape imbues this painting with a melancholy, depressive mood. The blackness of this piece calls to mind the loneliness of the night, when fears and nightmares surface, and the sky is a dark ocean of solitude.

A dark and forbidding wall of clouds cuts the lonely little circle off from the light, lonely in its seclusion. This darkened, alternate moon is a sorrowful figure, and it evokes sympathy in the painting’s viewer. The dark, sad mood of this painting is evocative and strangely beautiful in its loneliness. Lonely is a beautiful, emotionally affecting piece that creates a vividly realized mood.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

River Freeze - Art

In River Freeze, the power of a flowing river is captured with an almost child-like whimsy. The river in this painting actually folds up into itself, the mouth of the river opening into a field of blue with horizontal lines marking the separate folds of the river. This is a whimsical way of depicting the effects of a dam on a river. The river’s water collects in a lake, though it is, of course, a solid mass of water, unmarked by division because of the fluid nature of water.

Yet this painting depicts the river as folding up into itself as it becomes backed up. This is a creative way of looking at the damming of a river, and perhaps reveals more clearly the unnatural effects of a dammed river. The folding of the river certainly makes the river appear as if it has been severely disrupted, collapsing into itself like a car’s hood crumpling in a head-on collision. River Freeze is a simple piece that depicts the effects of disrupting a river’s natural flow.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Seas - Art

Seas is a visually stimulating painting dominated by the color yellow. In this unique view of a ship at sea, the sky blazes yellow, and the viewer’s perspective of the landscape appears to be tilted. This tilted view gives the painting excitement and a sense of instability that is unnerving and provocative. The heat and energy of the yellow sky adds to the sense of excitement.

The image of the ship itself indicates a moment of great tension. The ship’s sail appears bowed, as though it had been blown back by a force of great energy. A black ball floats through the air, the image of a cannon ball about to collide with the ship. Clearly, the ship is mid-battle, facing danger, and the energy of the painting draws the reader into this dangerous situation with the ship.

The bright yellow sky brings energy to the painting that is perfectly reflected in the dramatic, action-packed situation of the ship. The sea depicted in the painting is a dangerous one, where attacks can happen at any moment. Yet the energy captured in the moment is not merely alarming but also exciting and compelling.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

I'm writing a new language

I need a name for it. Hmmmmm. I wonder if anyone will speak the language with me besides the children.

Freedom - Art

Freedom is an abstract piece with a monochromatic, charcoal color scheme. The freeform shapes in this painting vaguely resemble a mountain range set against a clear sky. The contrast between the gray shaded color of the mountain and the stark white of the sky behind it is striking, the border between mountain and sky marked with a sharp black line. The mountain range in this painting is dark, yet it does not appear menacing, but rather looks like it is merely cast in the subtle valley shadows created by the mountains themselves.

The association of mountains with freedom has had a long history in the story of humanity. Mountains are the highest landforms found on the planet, lifting up toward the heavens with strength and power. By climbing a mountain, a person can come closer than typically possible to a communion with the heavens. After climbing some of the highest mountains in the world, the mountain climber may feel as though he or she could easily fly away into the sky. It is this euphoric feeling of freedom and flight that is captured in this evocative painting.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

Grave Digger - Art

In Grave Digger, an abstracted image in the form of a shovel sheds new light on the nature of life and death. The image in this painting resembles the broad end of a shovel, particularly one used in the digging of graves. The image of the shovel is dark and gloomy, an allusion to the tool’s morbid purpose. A dark, dense circle of black stands at one end of the shovel, perhaps an indication of the hole that the shovel is digging. Additionally, this dark, menacing orb could represent death itself, watching ever-present over the proceedings in the graveyard.

Though most of the painting features dark, gloomy shades of black and gray, one patch of color shines through. A stripe of green crosses the surface of the shovel, punctuating the darkness with a splash of color. This green patch can be interpreted in a literal sense as a blade of grass that was dug up with the soil when the gravedigger disrupted the earth in the cemetery. Yet the meaning of this blade of green is much more significant. Green is a color associated with new life, and the presence of this vibrant shade of green suggests the regenerative qualities of life. Though death claims one life, another life emerges, completing the cycle.

©1998-2009 Claretta Taylor Webb. All Rights Reserved

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