A Walk Through The Universe: Place, Part III

The last Monday in October, and just how did that happen, I ask you?  As usual, time is flying by and it's really true what they say...the older you get, the faster it goes!  We're still thinking about Place on this meander through the universe and I'm going to bring you some of the latest paintings by another dear friend, Robin Cody, who is also very much an artist tied to the idea of conveying a sense of place. Incidentally, she happens to be the wife of our earlier feature, Peter Brown--it's a fine painting partnership, to be sure.  Robin is on sabbatical this semester and was able to extend the summer months they usually spend in Maine through a bit of the autumn. She is a painter through and through, along with many other fine qualities, including a wicked sense of humor and my husband, Johntimothy, still says she makes the best pecan pie on the planet! Robin spends her time painting on location and I include a few words direct from the artist about that process. Works painted while recently in Maine follow.

Landscape sketches on the beach in Maine:

The speed with which all things change in the landscape is daunting, but it establishes the game - the race, or pursuit that is painting. I’m aware of painting from memory, remembering certain colors or gestures that define time and place. All of my looking is in the past as I rush to record it.  Possibly, Boudin and Constable are standing behind me, one at each shoulder, sadly shaking their heads. And sighing. -- Robin Cody

Robin is in the midst of creating a new web presence, so at this point additional work is not available to view, but please leave a comment here that you'd like to see more and I'll make sure to get you a link when the time comes! I love the sense of light in her work, the delicious paint surface and always, a sense of time and place.

What path shall we follow next month? Clearly, the thread that has connected each post in this topic of place, has been memory. But, that's just so broad, I'd like to sharpen the lens just a little bit and use this very powerful notion that Robin brought up in her statement. I'm very intrigued by this idea of looking backward, which is of course, what we do, because by the time we record and process the present moment, it has quite vanished, often without a trace. Let's frame it this way: The Fleeting Moment, The Backward Glance.  See you next Monday for A Walk Through The Universe.  But I'll be back before then with posts of a different order!

Thanks for your interest and would love to hear from you...cheers!