Finding Nuance in an Empty Coffee Cup

"God is in the details." - Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

"Baking"  8" x 8" oil on linen 

  Walking out the kitchen door I found an empty coffee cup poised on the railing where it had been left, forgotten,  by my husband Mike on it's way into the dishwasher. I have found an empty mug in that precise spot many times before, but seeing it this time made me smile and think " I really love this guy." It's the little details that trigger the big emotions.

  That idea is so true in art making as well. A work of art often turns on the smallest nuances. What seems an ordinary subject turns within the subtle details and relationships that can create the biggest responses. Once the structure and the big moves are in place in a painting, everything hinges on the small moves and you have a chance to bring your art to another level in the subtleties of the art. It might be that one color that that is the keystone of the painting or the perfect shape that sets the art in motion. Or the edges, or maybe it's the part that is obscured instead of shown. You never know, but it's there in the details.

  Recently, there was a good show at the MFA in Boston that brought this idea into focus for me. It was an exhibit of paintings by Canadian artist Lawren Harris. It's work with strong design that I've only seen in reproductions before and while I've admired them I haven't been particularly interested. That changed when I saw the show, as all of the nuance of the layered color and the subtle surface of the paint application was only apparent when I saw the work live. The power of the work was in the subtle aspects of it. I wonder what else is missing for all of us as we increasingly view art online- are we not really finding God in the details anymore?


For more information on the Lawren Harris show:

http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/the-idea-of-north-lawren-harris