A RESPONSE TO BETSY DEFUSCO's PAINTINGS
A Personal Response to Betsy DeFusco's Paintings: Three paintings by Betsy DeFusco are on exhibit in Made In Ohio, Diverse Images, at the Riffe Gallery thru October 16. DeFusco's large and wonderful abstracts are "about" light and painting, if abstracts can be "about" anything. Annegreth Nill, curator, refers to DeFusco's abstract paintings as "perceptual." --Yes, the longer I look at them, the more layers of aesthetic meaning I receive, perceive. The embodiment of light and color as a dynamic, is always present.
The artist has painted a red strip, a wine-red blend, on at least one edge of each canvas. In each painting, razor straight lines, vibrant pastel stripes, appear with bewitching irregularity.--DeFusco's stipes are translucent. Colors appear thru colors. This artist is an over-under color weaver, and she's a darn good painter!
On each canvas one sees a pale gold, with variations on yellows and whites, that emanates from an unseen nucleus, infuses the canvas with radiance.
WINDOW TO THE SUN is an apt title for this large square oil painting.
Pale yellow emanates from the center, evolves to dull wheat-hued bars, straight edged, of course. Red ribbon runs across the top and bottom. Greens,--pale, bluish,forest,--frame each side. The green sides are shadowy, like a pond Gazing we can "see" many kinds of windows. Our sight itself becomes a window, interior or exterior.
SEA CROSSING , also, is square and large, and at least as tall as I am. Again, the center is light-filled, and we note the red-gold bars. Various blue stripes hem this splendid painting in, and, of course, because this is a sea crossing, wide blue stripes dominate. Color strips/stripes have been painted upon other color strips, and you can see them all. Like the sea's, the painting's variations are endless and pleasing. Although the possibilities for revelation are endless DeFusco has tamed the sea. The poet ArthurRimbaud said it, "Eternity. It is the sea mixed with the sun."
OCEAN VIEW, the third painting, is long and narrow, around 72 x 30 inches. On the left side this rectangle is bounded by a wine-red strip, and on the right side, a straight brown strip. Various blues --faded Alice, bleached navy, aqua sateen,--have been interwoven with yellow stripes. Fine burgundy lines pin the painting down at strategic places. Ocean View has overpowered my professionalism; I've begun to think of fabric and ribbons! I recognize the tan stripe as a sash from Gran's attic! Her
church-going dress!--An orange streamer sails like a roman candle! The various blues attack me and catch me off guard, and images attack, like jay birds. My best friend, Helen Marguerite, and I wear blue and white plaid dresses. We have long brown braids and people think we're sisters and I'm allowed to call her mom, "Aunt Loma." We're seven or eight. We whirl in the wet garden. Our skirts stand out, our black patent shoes crush bachelor buttons, and our plaid ribbons stand out with our braids as we whirl and whirl! We love to buy ribbons and hair bows at Kresges. Our favorites are white satin criss crossed with egg colors and dinner mint stripes. We know who Elizabeth Arden is. We're allowed to buy face cream and nail polish and Blue Waltz perfume.--We're discouraged from buying candy cigarettes, but we do, and we paint our nails red and we whirl in order to dry them until Mother calls, "Stop, you'll muss your dresses!"
This prose poem/review is dedicated not only to Betsy DeFusco but to my childhood pal, ever a beauty queen, Helen Marguerite Taylor who died in August after a heroic battle with lung cancer. She and I--we're whirling in the sunlight of Betsy DeFusco's paintings.
The artist has painted a red strip, a wine-red blend, on at least one edge of each canvas. In each painting, razor straight lines, vibrant pastel stripes, appear with bewitching irregularity.--DeFusco's stipes are translucent. Colors appear thru colors. This artist is an over-under color weaver, and she's a darn good painter!
On each canvas one sees a pale gold, with variations on yellows and whites, that emanates from an unseen nucleus, infuses the canvas with radiance.
WINDOW TO THE SUN is an apt title for this large square oil painting.
Pale yellow emanates from the center, evolves to dull wheat-hued bars, straight edged, of course. Red ribbon runs across the top and bottom. Greens,--pale, bluish,forest,--frame each side. The green sides are shadowy, like a pond Gazing we can "see" many kinds of windows. Our sight itself becomes a window, interior or exterior.
SEA CROSSING , also, is square and large, and at least as tall as I am. Again, the center is light-filled, and we note the red-gold bars. Various blue stripes hem this splendid painting in, and, of course, because this is a sea crossing, wide blue stripes dominate. Color strips/stripes have been painted upon other color strips, and you can see them all. Like the sea's, the painting's variations are endless and pleasing. Although the possibilities for revelation are endless DeFusco has tamed the sea. The poet ArthurRimbaud said it, "Eternity. It is the sea mixed with the sun."
OCEAN VIEW, the third painting, is long and narrow, around 72 x 30 inches. On the left side this rectangle is bounded by a wine-red strip, and on the right side, a straight brown strip. Various blues --faded Alice, bleached navy, aqua sateen,--have been interwoven with yellow stripes. Fine burgundy lines pin the painting down at strategic places. Ocean View has overpowered my professionalism; I've begun to think of fabric and ribbons! I recognize the tan stripe as a sash from Gran's attic! Her
church-going dress!--An orange streamer sails like a roman candle! The various blues attack me and catch me off guard, and images attack, like jay birds. My best friend, Helen Marguerite, and I wear blue and white plaid dresses. We have long brown braids and people think we're sisters and I'm allowed to call her mom, "Aunt Loma." We're seven or eight. We whirl in the wet garden. Our skirts stand out, our black patent shoes crush bachelor buttons, and our plaid ribbons stand out with our braids as we whirl and whirl! We love to buy ribbons and hair bows at Kresges. Our favorites are white satin criss crossed with egg colors and dinner mint stripes. We know who Elizabeth Arden is. We're allowed to buy face cream and nail polish and Blue Waltz perfume.--We're discouraged from buying candy cigarettes, but we do, and we paint our nails red and we whirl in order to dry them until Mother calls, "Stop, you'll muss your dresses!"
This prose poem/review is dedicated not only to Betsy DeFusco but to my childhood pal, ever a beauty queen, Helen Marguerite Taylor who died in August after a heroic battle with lung cancer. She and I--we're whirling in the sunlight of Betsy DeFusco's paintings.
posted by Liz James at 8:48 PM
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