Trial and Error Painter: An invitation to an exhibit

Self-Forgivness

The following passage by E.H. Gombrich was a revelation to me, maybe an epiphany. I had been looking for a way to break out of my old habits when I found this. It became the central idea of a “Self-forgiveness Theory.” It says to keep trying, modifying, and correcting -- that the eraser is the tool of more expressive realism. In almost mystical terms: trying to create perfection is impossible, but forgiving yourself and your drawings for being imperfect and constantly refining your vision is possible.

“Seen in this light, that dry psychological formula of schema and correction can tell us a good deal, not only about the essential unity between medieval and post-medieval art, but also of their vital difference. To the Middle Ages, the schema is the image, to the post-medieval artist, it is the starting point for corrections, adjustments, adaptations, the means to probe reality and to wrestle with the particular. The hallmark of the medieval artist is the firm line that testifies to the mastery of his craft. That of the post-medieval artist is not facility, which he avoids, but constant alertness. Its symptom is the sketch, or rather the many sketches which precede the finished work and, for all the skill of hand and eye of the master, a constant readiness to learn, to make and match and remake till the portrayal ceases to be a second hand formula and reflects the unique and unrepeatable experience the artist wishes to seize and hold.”

Art & Illusion: A study in Psychology of Pictorial Representation, Page 173

-- E. H. Gombrich

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

An invitation to an exhibit

Swamps and Other Wetlands
A Painting Series
By Ray M. Hershberger

Arts of the Albemarle
516 East Main Street
Elizabeth City, NC 27909
252.338.6455
www.artsaoa.com

February 2013
First Friday Opening:
February 1, 5:30 - 7:00 pm

Whether you are just going to work or traveling across the country, there is a good chance that you've seen these wetlands. Swamps, marshes, streams and drainage ditches are wonderful discoveries waiting at the bottom of almost every hill. Often, these magical spaces are doppelgänger worlds of reflections, packed with both life and decay. Among the dappled light and shifting shadows are amazing, complex color arrangements. These are the worlds that I am trying to capture in paint.

Please visit my website:
http://www.rmhershberger.com