The Christmas Jigsaw
Every year I do a jigsaw puzzle around Christmas time. It is something that my Mom and I have always done together over the holidays. Usually, the bigger/harder the puzzle the more we like it. This year's puzzle image is a painting by Gustav Klimt called Garden With Sunflowers. I especially like working puzzles with images of art. Some art lovers might roll their eyes - but it's not about whether the image on the puzzle provides a true life experience of the original piece. I mean, it can't possibly. But in working a puzzle, you examine every square inch of the image and by the end you are initmately familiar with every brush stroke. It makes me enjoy and appreciate the original so much more when I have spent time getting to know it in this way. It becomes mine.
I have the gift neither of the spoken nor the written word, especially if I have to say something about myself or my work. Whoever wants to know something about me ought to look carefully at my pictures and try to see in them what I am and what I want to do. ~ Gustav Klimt
Comments
Hi Nancy,
The puzzle looks fun. 95% of painting is release, the other 5% is interpretation. I used to just throw oil and acrylic on a canvas and it was like throwing stress out the window. Having said that, once it's done, you wonder about the 5% extensively. When someone pieces the image together and gains an insight that the artist never expected, you're giving the artist a wonderful gift. Of course, when the intrepretation is something like, "...this dude is warped." the artist is somewhat humbled, yet diligent in making excuses about why the painting is brilliant if not aesthetically pleasing. :) Very cool tradition you have there. Seurat would have freaked out about pointillism jigsaw... I think. Then again, he might have said, "Sure, take the easy route to neo-impressionism."
By the way, today was Sanchalita's last day. She stopped and said goodbye and asked about you. I told her you've joined an Satanic cult and moved to Corona Del Mar and only communicate through glossolalia and only when you're in the mood to talk. No, I told her you were with a start up and doing well, and she said nice things about you.
Anyway, I've been eavesdropping on you postings but haven't jumped in with anything too clever. Hope you're doing great. Talk to you soon. -Stan
I'm sort of surprised Sanchalita stayed this long. Jay said she wanted to get a hold of me a while back but she didn't say what for and I never really followed up. I didn't really know her except for the one week of turnover I did before I left. Maybe she was looking for a job.
Feel free to go ahead and start rumors regarding my whereabouts. Just make sure you tell me about them so I can adventure vicariously through your imagination. I'm sure the stories will be much more exciting than my daily grind and a little notoriety might be fun. (No such thing as bad publicity....)