Blog
"Spaces and Places"
“Integrity” ©Tom Hlas 2013. All rights reserved. Mixed Media on Paper, 7″ x 5″
Moving to the country (Norfolk, Connecticut) has definitely had an impact on my work.
As I look back at the art I've created the last couple months, I've noticed that while my use of circles has continued, squares and rectangles have appeared in a strong way.
Village living has spurred memories of the farm landscapes I knew as a child growing up in rural Iowa where the country side is divided into square miles, square miles subdivided into square fields (some of which are planted in contour ribbons), rivers and creeks course through the landscape, sparse trees dot the countryside and linear fences with their vertical posts streak near and far.
My chosen shapes, colors and patterns may not mimic those found in nature but that's not my intent. The paintings are not depictions of actual locations. They won't be found on any map or in any travelogue.
Rather my intention is to create spaces and places where the mind can travel, where one can daydream, where one can mentally rest and enjoy a sense of belonging and a sense of being at home.
"Celebrate Your Favorite"
“Honesty” ©Tom Hlas 2013. All rights reserved. Mixed Media on Paper, 7″ x 5″
Think of your favorite color.
How does your favorite color make you feel?
What thoughts come to mind when you think of your favorite color?
In fact, why is a particular color your favorite? Is it because of some association or memory connected with that color? If I visited your home, would I clearly see that color represented in your furnishings or clothes closet?
Our lives are filled with color and somehow we consciously or unconsciously make choices to surround ourselves with particular colors (and not with other colors) which is something I find worthy of consideration and reflection.
"In A Minute"
“Journey” (Detail) ©Tom Hlas 2013. All rights reserved. Mixed Media on Canvas, 36″ x 18″
It seems so many people are very busy these days doing many things at the same time, multitasking as best they can.
Frequently I hear people comment they just don’t have enough time to get everything done. The phone rings, a new email comes in, people stop by for a chat, someone needs a favor, the boss walks in and needs something done ASAP, a child needs help, it’s one distraction after another. They think if they just didn’t have so many distractions, they could get their own stuff done.
But what is a distraction?
Is something really a distraction if we don’t label it as such?
What if rather than naming it a distraction, we just include it in our day?
[NOTE: This is the last blog article I posted on my old blog before my web site became history due to a server crash. So I'm reposting it again as the start of my new blog. Enjoy!]