Circles; running around in...

Russian artist Vasily Kandinsky (1866-1944) started getting enamored of the spherical form in about 1926, and this painting was one of the results. I’m not totally enamored of spheres but this one certainly caught my eye last December at an exhibit of his work at the Guggenheim Museum. It’s called “Several Circles” (actually being more than 30) and they jumped off the canvas at me. Seemingly simple but with dynamic juxtapositions of color and light, it’s an inspiring work of art.

So I was inspired to steal his idea(s) and, since it was the Christmas season, I got out the acrylics and a couple of boxes of old, and deteriorating (I was actually going to dump them) Christmas tree balls and dipped them in white semi-gloss paint as a background color and to cover-up all the dings and crackles. Over the last couple of months I’ve been whaling away at Kandinsky-izing tree ornaments. It was intriguing and fun for about two weeks but then I started realizing I wasn’t really creating “art.” What I was doing was turning my living room into a crafts fair and my project was turning into a friggin’ hobby! Of course I am incapable of keeping things simple and went overboard with my colors and couldn’t stop myself from being overly ornamental with my own spheres and spirals. I never learn. I’ll finish up the project (the tunnel light is now beckoning) but I’ve got to learn that an inspirational work of art does not necessarily mean I have to bring it home with me.

Unfortunately I still have boxes of old ornaments I will never use and, hey, both eyeballs and olives are round. Satan, get thee behind me.

Update 3/1/10: The siren call of artsy/craftsy activity took hold of my humanoid persona and the results are hereat recorded. I have gouged out six eyeballs and impregnated six olives with faux pimento. Want one?