Paintings by John Beder

Docs

2009-04-08T07:53:00.001-07:00

Oil on Canvas 40"x30"
I redid the background on this piece, giving it a cool grey from the pinkish it was before. It is going into the show at the Ian Tan gallery in Vancouver on April 18. Apparently, when the background was pinkish, patrons were interested but the comments were, "I can't live with the pink". All right all ready, no big deal to change it.
I want to thank Simon Holzman for his comments and invitation to view his blog. After the show I will have time to go through everyone's websites and am looking forward to seeing new art.
As the deadline for the show approaches, I notice my psychology changing. I feel more like a fireman, putting out one fire after another, and it's not how I like to create. In the "fix it now" mode that deadlines impose, it becomes perilously easy to overwork an area of a painting. Yecchhh.
It brings me to a thought I had about the painting process. It occurred that what I am trying to do with paint is akin to alchemy. It is about coaxing the paint to do the impossible; turning the dense, flat, opaque earth minerals into luminous expressions of what the conscious mind percieves and imagines. I don't recall signing up for the impossible, but somehow, that is what I find myself doing. When the process gets frustrating, it helps to remind myself that, well, it's impossible anyway, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Wild Bunch #3

2009-04-07T09:14:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 24"x48"
What I like about this subject is how it reminds or suggests DNA. People have commented that a lot of my fruit paintings remind them of DNA. I hadn't thought of that, perhaps I'm trying to depict my own DNA, making the changes in the programming that I would prefer. Evolution has long been a fascination, and along with that, an intense wondering about how programmed are we by DNA. DNA is a crystal structure, like the old crystal radios, where it can be tuned to pick up signals. I've always thought that a signal theory of evolution was far better than the random mutation idea taught at university. The notion that our bodies were a result of accidents just never made any sense to me.

Tangerine Dream

2009-04-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 28"x22"

This uses my favorite themes, streaking sunlight, fruit, and for me, an unusual composition.

One thing I've been thinking a lot of while I have been struggling with these canvases is what the word beauty actually means. I know that the idea of beauty is the prime motivation behind the choice of painting as an avocation. There is a part of my character, I'll call it the manager, that couldn't care less about beauty, and it figures that I could do a lot better in some other pursuit. Most people, when it comes to the nitty gritty of life, don't put a lot of value on the idea of beauty, relating it to the notion of cosmetics and or decoration.

The artist in me, challenging the utilitarian manager part, says, try living in a world without beauty and see if you could actually sustain your spirit. That challenge got me thinking, well what is it exactly? The notion that beauty is a presence, an awareness, came to my attention. Beauty accepts what is, including ugliness, and then somehow finds a way, through relationships, to something more, something beyond. Beauty is always suggesting, pointing somewhere, moving someplace.

The importance for me is that the presence of beauty shows that we are in a world alive with intention, and not in a machine world where everything is predetermined, where everything is essentially lifeless. So the idea came that a successful painting is one where the presence of beauty is felt, the immediacy jumps off the canvas, giving it a compelling quality without any one thing being obvious.

Orb with Folds

2009-04-07T08:21:00.001-07:00

Oil on Canvas 24"x48"

My apologies for not posting in a while. I ran into problems with new canvases, where they didn't take the paint very well, and I botched a bunch of paintings. If any one out there can recommend a brand of Gesso that transforms the surface of a canvas into one that works well with glazing techniques, I would appreciate the info.

I'd like to thank everyone who commented, in particular Jeff Hays, who is a very accomplished painter, and Todd Ford, who exchanged links with me, and who does a distinct contemporary style of painting that I admire.

In this painting, my normal glazing approach didn't work due to the canvas, so I sort of had to learn to paint over again, using a lot more white than I am used to. I became fascinated with how the folds took on a sculptural quality and focused on that. I have had this silver orb for a while, and decided to use it with the cloth. I took my own reflection out of it, didn't think I would be all that interesting, and decided to have it reflect the sky. It took on a sort of surrealistic quality, kind of empty, but it also draws the eye in, suggesting a sort of infinity. Maybe it's just me.

Blue Plate #4

2008-12-18T06:44:00.001-08:00

Oil on Canvas 22"x28"

This another work in progress and will be in the exhibition at the Ian Tan Gallery in Vancouver.

I keep experimenting with different painting processes. In this piece, I did not begin with an underpainting, which has been the usual way that I start. I am fascinated with the effects of glazed color, applied in thin layers, allowing the white of the canvas to come through. It is a bit daunting to start right into a painting directly on white canvas, however, the purity of color, and the luminescence makes it worthwhile. The effect I am intending is to imply an inner light source, an inner radiation, as well as the traditional "exterior" light source. I am hoping that the viewer will "get" the idea that the inner radiation is a metaphor for consciousness. Not only that we are consciousness, but that the "objective" world is consciousness as well. Metaphysical considerations have always been important on a personal level, and this piece is the first one where I have intentionaly implied some of my musings into a painting method.

Orange #4

2008-12-17T15:39:00.000-08:00

Oil on Canvas 24"x48"

This is still a work in progress. I am moving away from the dark backgrounds, but will return to it when the mood for contrast hits. I am after transulency in the peeled orange segments, and am interested in the stark simple table top running horizontally. The table colour I made up, intending it to transition from the lights to the dark color below. This piece will be in a two person show starting April 18 at the Ian Tan Gallery in Vancouver, Canada.

Apricots

2008-11-14T06:22:00.000-08:00

Oil on Canvas 11"x11"
I didn't compose this piece, it's just how the apricots were piled. I was attracted by the soft light coming into the kitchen from the south facing window. The extreme forshortening, the soft light, and the simplicity of the design made this a challenging piece. Currently, it is in the Greenwich Workshop Small Works exhibition 2008, a great annual venue put on by the gallery.

Kayakers

2008-10-13T15:49:00.001-07:00

Oil on Canvas 24"x48"

Every once in a while I like to try my hand at depicting water. As well, while I draw the human form a lot, I don't paint people very often. I tried to create the feeling of a bit of mist by lightening the tone of the paddles. As well, I indicated the horizen line softly, adding to the feeling of mist and atmosphere.

A Pair With Stuff

2008-09-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 11"x14"
In this piece I am using a lot of blue, a color I usually use sparingly. I recally reading that the ancients didn't paint with blue because they thought it was insubstantial. My guess is that a lot of painting back then was for statuary, and blue would take away from the solid feel that they were after. The very quality of blue the ancients didn't like is the quality that I am exploring, that it tends to create atmosphere. The pears were set up beside a northwest window and the illumination is both indirect and reduced. It is my first foray into reduced light and I hope to more along these lines over the winter.

Take Five

2008-08-30T07:12:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 40"x20"

This is a larger version of the Blue Bowl with Pears. There is more contrast between the background and foreground in the painting than what the digital camera recorded. I am not particularly happy with the ceramic bowl. The actual color is quite dark all the way around, but I found that it became too heavy, so I lightened it on the right. I could work on it more, but at a certain point, one must move on. Oh well, not every painting is totally satisfying. At this scale, texture becomes more of a focus, and I spent extra time rendering the spots and bumps on the pears. Oddly, the stems became somewhat of an obsession; I couldn't stop laughing because they began to look hilarious. I didn't intend any humor when I began the piece, but it sure arrived during the process.

A Fine Balance

2008-07-16T08:01:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas 22"x28"
This painting is about edges, and there is plenty of them in this piece. Edges, as I perceive them, are the lines of chaos between two areas of relative calm. Getting edges to a preference, hard, medium, soft, was a focus in this painting. The edge on a spherical shape is further away from the viewer than the center, so it helps to soften the edge a little to create the illusion of "roundness". The fine balance refers to how the plums are arranged on top of each other, and how the colors are harmonized. I actually changed the color of the plums from the redish hue to more blue. The blue plums haven't been available for about a year, and I find that somewhat frustrating. I hope they arrive soon, as I prefer working with what is actually there rather than making up color. The exercise was interesting in that I transposed what the color actually was to a color of preference. In that sense, this piece is furthest from realistic painting than previous pieces. The photo is not that great, dark in areas, light in others, I regret the depiction, its as good as I can get it without spending a whole lot of time photographing.

Blue Bowl with Pears

2008-04-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 8"x24" --------clickable image
This piece is a study for a larger version. I am trying out lighter backgrounds to see how the subject matter stands out. Also, I chose to underpaint a full black and white version as a way to establish the tones and get a handle on the shapes. Normally, I use a wash of burnt umber, and allow the white of the canvas to portray the light areas. A fully rendered black and white underpainting takes longer, and I have to wait for it to dry, but I think the final result has more authority.
This month I created two other paintings that I didn't like and won't bother posting them. My day job has increased time wise and is getting close to being full time, consequently, my posts will continue to be slow. Such is life.

Wild Bunch

2008-03-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 40"x30"
This piece, that I'm still working on, is a commission from my brother, Ralph, a landscape architect from Toronto, who owns Symmetry Design. He saw a grape painting I did two years ago, and decided he wanted one, bless his heart.
When you hold grapes up to the light, they actually look this colorful. It is a bit of an "eye candy" piece, where I want the grapes to pop out of the background with a bit of a wow factor. I am not sure if my brother is going to like this one, no matter though, he was kind enough to contact some Toronto galleries who have expressed interest, so if the painting isn't what he had in mind, I am quite happy to show it in a Toronto gallery.
I have recieved a lot of comments and I want to thank people for writing such kind words. Many folks are phenomenal artists themselves and the comments are very welcome and helpful.

Edwardian Garden

2008-03-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

This is an example of my brother's work. He designs and builds gardens like this, where he transforms an ordinary urban or suburban back yard into a fabulous space that invites imaginative fantasies.

Unfolding

2008-03-03T15:28:00.001-08:00

Oil on Canvas 40"x30"
This piece isn't done yet but I thought I may as well post. I am facinated by folds in cloth, and decided to focus on cloth as a subject. I have always found white objects to be particularly challenging, and this was no exception. The subleties in white are elusive, to put it mildly, and I wasn't interested in doing it monochromatically, which would look dead. Anyway, I think the piece has a life to it and works fairly well.

My Docs

2008-01-15T14:57:00.000-08:00

Oil on Canvas 36"x30"
There's still lots I could do on this, but I don't think it would improve all that much, so I am posting it as is. I think it works fairly well.. the interest for me was to portray the reflective surface of the shoe leather and to express the character of the style of boot as well as having been worn.
I have contracted to do a children's book so the paintings will go on the back burner for a while. I will see if it is possible to still put out paintings while meeting the book deadlines.

Tableau#1

2007-12-22T15:33:00.000-08:00

Oil on Canvas 22"x28"
The play of light over the pear and apple on the right is what interested my eye in this piece. I also chose to crop the grouping to give it more impact..plus it meant I had less stripes to do. Deciding how dark to make the shadows is always an issue..almost a mood thing. The photo tended to overstate the shadows a bit..but I did make them fairly contrasty. The other thing that got me going on this painting is the sort of "Fruit on Parade" aspect. I like the theatrical appearance, whithout too much contrivance. This piece is headed for the Ian Tan Gallery in Vancouver, which so far, is proving to be a good gallery for me to show.

Blue Plate #3

2007-11-27T20:49:00.000-08:00

Oil on Canvas 22"x28"
I chose a closer perspective on this piece, trying to emphasize the contrast in size between the similar round shapes. The highlighted plumb in the middle became the focal point, and I didn't want to overwork it. I kept it loose while retaining the complex detail and I think it worked well. One of the challenges in closeup is creating the right amount of texture. The lemon in the foreground has a certain amount, whithout looking like it has acne, which it did for a while. I had to de-emphasize the dimples and yet still give it some of that suggestion.

Blue Plate #2

2007-11-25T17:38:00.000-08:00

Oil on Canvas 24"x36"

This is another older piece picked up by Ian Tan Gallery in Vancouver. What I was attracted t0 in the fruit was the contrast in size between the pears, orange, and the grapes. The folding striped cloth in the background is a judgement call in the sense of how strong to make it. I am playing with the idea of having the background be almost as important as the foreground.

Blue Plate #1

2007-10-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 24"x30"
This is an older painting which has been picked up by Ian Tan Gallery in Vancouver. Mr. Tan's gallery is one of my favorites in the city and I am very pleased to be showing there.

Apple and Pears

2007-08-03T14:33:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 28"x22"
This is the latest in my stripes series. Every time I finish one I swear that it is the last. While I think the result looks very cool, the process is a bit much. In this one, I chose to make the shadows dark, trying for a more dramatic look. Shadows are always interesting and there are many ways to render them. Intense light does create more contrast, so in this painting I decided to create the most contrast between the fruit and the surface of the table.

Nectarine and Pear

2007-08-03T12:41:00.001-07:00

oil on canvas 11"x11"
Simple compositions can be challenging.. there is not a lot of subject matter so the emphasis has to be on how it is done. In this piece, I found the light to be somewhat cool and I tried to capture that feeling.

Orange

2007-07-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 12"x12"
I've done a few oranges and decided that having them lay there on a table was a bit quiet. I decided to fool around with the peel and came up with this composition. The design on the table cloth echoes the subject, and the low angle looking up makes the orange appear "elevated".

Cherries and Antique Jar

2007-07-12T16:21:00.001-07:00

11"x11" Oil on Canvas
As I painted the antique jar, it got me thinking about the idea of wildness. The glass in the old jar is irregular, lots of little distortions, that made looking through it a delightful experience. The distortions are actually a record of how the silicon cooled, how the heat distributed through the shape of the jar. I consider this type of inorganic activity to be as "wild" as any animal life. So, in effect, I was trying to capture the "wildness" I saw in the antique glass.

Apple and Book

2007-06-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 14"x11"
I had this antiquarian book on painting and decided to capture the worn look and the slightly beveled edges on the paper. The apple is a classic prop, perhaps next time I'll take a bite out of it. I like this book so much I'm going to be using it for a while in my paintings.