| Want To See? |
| Wednesday, 24 June 2009 |
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My friend, Kyle Jordre, is a Phoenix-based abstract expressionist. His work is beautiful and infused with the imagination of the beholder—to whatever they see. He approaches painting in ways that have forever altered my perspective of the world and of what art brings to my writing life. Kyle paints by circling his canvases as they lay on the cement floor of his studio. His tools are unusual to say the least: five large plastic stirring spoons are shrink-wrapped to an empty water bottle and a plastic handle is attached to the top. He paints with spatulas and a baseball bat, but my favorite implement is the drill bit. He painted a most extraordinary 5-panel work entirely with a drill. The day I met Kyle, I saw a beautiful piece in his studio that reminded me of a redwood tree reflected in a lake with the sandy dirt on the near shore. I’m saving my allowance so I can buy that painting. What happened next forever affected my view of the world – and my work. Kyle said, “It looks like an entirely different painting if you re-orient the piece. Want to see?” He lifted the painting, made a quarter turn and re-hung it. My jaw dropped in surprise; I was blown away. He laughed and turned it another quarter. Suddenly the painting was a dramatic sunset just at twilight when the blues and purples are so present on the horizon. The final quarter turn echoed the others and yet stood all on its own. Walking around the canvas while he paints, and orienting the work in different ways, allows Kyle to both dial in and distance himself from the work. His perspective on the piece changes as he rounds the geometric edges of his creation. On occasion, like a sculptor, Kyle finds paintings within paintings and sets them free as their own separate works. Knowing Kyle, his work, and his process adds dimension to my life and to my writing. Using different implements changes the feel of a story in my hands; crayons, chalk, and sharpies strike my sketchpad in ways that seem to effect the pacing of a play. Occasionally characters bring stories within stories, and now I am better able to redirect their tales to another time and place. When I can set them free in their own right, and in their own narrative, the body of work in front of me can progress. And finally, I have learned more about walking around my own work – about rounding the edges of the page. I look for ways to re-orient the material with a fresh eye and an open mind. The pacing and the turning allow me to both dial in and distance myself from the perspective of characters whose wants and wills can be overwhelming in the writing process. Did I mention that Kyle and I met on Twitter? We’re not exactly sure, but we think I (@MareBiddle) followed him (@Jordre) first. I wanted to see his work and to interview him, of that much I am certain. When we met early that Monday morning, I asked Kyle if he would talk to me about his process. And who knew that when he asked me, “Want to see?” that I would, in fact… see. |
