The Last Time I Saw Richard

Untitled; circa 1950

The title of this post comes from one of my favourite Joni Mitchell songs. I was prompted to use it by this painting from another artist that helped define California in my mind, Richard Diebenkorn.
I love the looseness of this splodgy gouache sketch.
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Mamma, you been on my mind

Sink, 2008

Mamma Anderson's paintings remind me of Peter Doig and Luc Tuymans in the way they heighten a sense of reality into an uncanny state. The colours are plain but startling, and this splodgy picture of a kitchen reminds me of my Nana.


Here's a version of the song that inspired this post's title, by the way...

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The Liver Is The Cock's Comb

When I was at university I read a fair bit about Arshile Gorky and it seems he was as much a shape-shifter in his life as he was in his biomorphic art. No-one really knows when he was born and his personal life was mired in tragedy until his early death. I've never obsessed over Gorky like I have with other artists, but I definitely find his imagery alluring and therein lies his appeal to me, rather than personal facts.

The title of this painting is amazing - a real breath of fresh air compared to the blankness of 'Untitled' (which has its own merits in allowing an artwork to speak for itself). It's a vivid title, just like the painting, which creates a world for you to explore and mull over.

I really relish the task of naming songs or albums, as it happens (my friends and I have spent hours laughing at fictional band names, but actual band names are a pain in the bum...).

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