Ok, I’m reaching with the title.  All clever connections are buried under so much Holiday cheer, lists, wrapping paper and twinkling lights, its the best I can do–sigh.

Polling of both classes resulted in an overwhleming vote to continue working on pieces in progress.  So that’s the plan. And in order to keep all things “themed” as I am want to do, I will share a quote from one of my greatest “teachers”, the great Abstract Expressionist,  Hans Hofmann: “Art is magic. So say the surrealists. But how is it magic? In its metaphysical development? Or does some final transformation culminate in a magic reality? In truth, the latter is impossible without the former. If creation is not magic, the outcome cannot be magic.”—Search for the Real and Other Essays (1948) by Hans Hofmann, edited by Sara T. Weeks and Bartlett H. Hayes, Jr. Addison Gallery of American Art; (using M.I.T. Press edition (1967); (Partial online PDF)

This additional quote from Heir Hofmann is a little extra ‘gift’:  “I do not want to avoid immersing myself in trouble — to be a mess — to struggle out of it. I want to invent, to discover, to imagine, to speculate, to improvise — to seize the hazardous in order to be inspired. I want to experience the manifestation of the absolute — the manifestation of the unexpected in an extreme and unique relation. I know that only by following my creative instincts in an act of creative destruction will I be able to find it.”  Statement of April 1950, as quoted in Hans Hofmann’ (1998) by Helmut Friedel and Tina Dickey

So while working on pieces in progress let’s keep the magic by being willing to make “a mess”.  I will demonstrate some techniques that will be new to some but familiar to others.  Those who wish to watch can gather round and those who wish to keep working may do that.  

If you have a piece that is fresh and new and you want to keep it that way have two pieces going at once, one with which you can improvise and “seize the hazardous”. The other controlled piece  might be the repository for a spark of inspiration that results from allowing your work “to be a mess —and (sic) to struggle out of it”.