The One That Makes Me Miss Fall Most

Caity Grether, In this place that I am, with these traits I've been given, 2010

Poetic Formalism and Luc Tuymans

Someone told me my paintings are "poetic." I like that description, so I've been trying to figure out exactly what it means. This is an excerpt from an article by Jordan Kantor in the January 2010 Artforum. Describing Luc Tuymans' Gas Chamber (1986), he states: "In its imagery, the painting is barely legible; however, with the benefit of the title, the pictorial restraint and narrative obscurity become integral aspects of the artist's postulation that historical representation may be more a matter of distance, omission, and translation than of proximity, completeness, or primacy. Indeed, the painting derives as much power from what it withholds as from what it reveals."

While I appreciate Tuyman's work, what appeals to me most about this aritcle is Kantor's phrasing. I'm not ready to attribute the terms "pictoral restraint" and "narrative obscurity" to my own work, but I like those ideas and perhaps my work is moving in that direction. For my upcoming show, I am certainly depending on "the benefit of the title" to help viewers look more deeply at my work.

Caribbean Watercolors

These are the my watercolors from of a study abroad in the caribbean last summer. (Yes, it was awesome). Some of them are plein air, and some of them I did from photographs after I got back.

The Beginning

Caity Grether, First I'm green, yellow orange red, then I'm brittle, then I'm dead., 2009


My current body of work began with the following journal entry, from September 26, 2009:

This summer I kind of missed being on the river. But this fall, I am desperately missing having been on the river. Does that make sense? I think maybe I'm feeling a shortage in the solar stockpile that (hardly) gets me through every winter. If my full capacity sunlight silo is barely enough, will I survive this year?

The desperate colors of fall. Is that why leaves turn from cool green to warm oranges, reds, and yellows? To give us as much sunny color as possible before the world sinks into depressing gray and burnt umber? I think so. The bright yellow black-eyed susans are mostly dead or dying right now. First sign of winter.

I watched Disney's Wall-e for the first time tonight. I feel slightly upset. Probably for a few reasons, but that movie is one of them. It was cute, but at the same time a rather striking and depressing social commentary. If I could remember exactly how I felt when Owl's house fell down on Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, (I am told that I cried over it), I think that I feel the same way right now. Maybe I should watch While You Were Sleeping. It is real enough to be convincing, but there are enough elements of coincidence and hope to leave you feeling optimistic. I relate to Sandra Bullock in that movie because she wears frumpy clothes, has brown hair, and she suddenly goes from being all alone to finding her one true love. I relate to Wall-e because he runs on solar energy.

To the desperate colors of fall: Stick around a little while longer this year. Please?