Wild Daisies Plucked From a Concrete Curb.

     Last Spring as I was driving around town on a beautiful night just south of where I lived, I noticed a small bunch of wild daisies sprouting out of the side of a curb, as I was stopped at a traffic light.  As soon as the green light gave me the signal I was on my way again as I took a left down the next road to wherever it was I was going; then it occurred to me, the path I was on wasn't a definite one, so: "why not turn around and bring those daisies home and put them to use, they were fine where they were, and since they were growing on a curb out into a public street, they weren't technically anyone's property.
    
       Nonetheless, I pulled up quickly to the curb, jumped out with my scissor already in hand and with a couple of forceful and swift snips, they were in my possession and I quickly got into my car, placing them carefully in the passenger seat as if they were my newly welcomed guests!
   
       I place them in water that night as soon as I got home, I had not a real vase so I use the next best thing and place them in a red drinking container, that I got from my bank as an apology for a mistake I'd brought to their attention; It worked out for the best as this deep interesting red went nicely with my curbside Daisies.  So the next few days these flowers were put to good use up until they ran out of life, and as you can see below they do still exist.  These 5 Still Life are what I produced, and one photograph I took to document their existence as they really looked as a reference.

 These photos are in chronological order, the mediums I use are a range of Gouache, pastel, oil pastel, pencil/graphite and watercolors..all 11x14 in size.

The next two images are a bonus as they are abstract, and possibly the last one a type of self portrait, in reaction if you will from the fury as to which the 5 Still Lifes I painted:

2 Acrylic Still Lifes by CT Rasmuss

              22x24" acrylic by ctrasmuss

16x20" acrylic by ctrasmuss

The above two works of art, that I've recently finished are in their final states as far as I'm concerned; I'm quite satisfied with their outcomes...especially the backgrounds I created around them!
  In this short blog, I've also included some of the notes and previous stages of these paintings below:

'Struggle' Turns into 'Heavenly Dutch Windmill' by C.T. Rasmuss.

                      Heavenly Dutch Windmill  C.T. Rasmuss, oil/acrylic colle (June 2013).


With this one, I started off with a blank canvas(of course), but the finished work shown here, is entirely different from what it was just the nite before last.  I finished a painting that I wasn't sure about, if it was finished or a just complete mess.  It was very dark & chaotic, and I saw it as a metaphor for my struggles, I mean clear as day; but it showed me winning in this struggle...I was 'stamping' out the enemy.  And after a few days my victory was obvious and I was tired of looking at the ugly residue!!!

                                        'Struggle', no longer exists...reference above work.


So I decided I was going to 'stamp' this image out of existence, for real..."I want Beauty", I thought to myself..."I don't need to be reminded of its ugliness, not in the least".

When I started out originally I had no idea what I was going to do, I was practicing a subconscious technique, which obviously worked, "but could it be done again? is this the final product or is there a second part to this interpretive metaphor?"; only one way to find out and I took the hard way out!

I recalled a student of mine asking me "do you ever paint off the top of your head?";  that day I answered with a quick painting(Top of the Floral), off the top of my head...and now this day I realized, after spending many more hours on 'Struggle' that The finished piece now known as 'Heavenly Dutch Windmill' is what was off the top of my head, the 1st ugly one is what got me there, a Metamorphosis if you will.  I win!

                                            Top of the Floral mentioned above C.T. Rasmuss

Stretching Driftwood B/W Painting from Photograph by C.T. Rasmuss

"Stretching Driftwood" in acrylic, 2005; by C.T. Rasmussen.

A good way to handle desert photographs, is perhaps to start in black and white, void of any color, then start by rendering it through a drawing, then paint via gray scale.  I find this sort of effort, a great way to be able to understand the composition in horizon; a meeting between earth and sky...

C.T. Rasmuss

Art Reviews of C.T. Rasmuss

"The work is quite professional in that the artist knows what he is doing with paint, makes a composition with a visual idea in it, and executes it well."
                     Prof. Peter Plagens, Hofstra, Newsweek art critic; 2008.

"They were hypnotic...The surface detail of each piece is organic and colorful, starring at them one at a time gave me the impression that I was viewing microscopic divisions of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory."  

                      AEQAI.com, Dustin Pike; Jan. 2012. 
                                                             

ZipLine   C.T. Rasmuss,  Acrylic (2012).

                                                  

"...“contained chaos”, small (8”X12”), mosaic-like works…Probably a dozen colors, glitter and strings of tiny black and white dots swirl in what looks like a bubbling pool of matter from which all life will spring."
                                                             
                                     City Beat, Kathy Swartz; Jan. 2012, (11-17).

"...much of his work is abstract; sometimes viewers see shapes or patterns not seen by Rasmuss, leading to further discussion and interpretation."

                                      Cincinnati Enquirer, Sue Kiesewetter; Aug. 7 2012.

Classes in Applied Painting by C.T.Rasmuss

I am teaching the first class on my newest techinque of applied painting, this is one of many examples so far; the cost is $25 per 2 hr session(all supplies will be furnished); 1st class being the 30th of June a Saturday from 2-4pm. Let me know if your interested, as this will lead into longterm hopefuly, as I plan to write a book on the process and through our course work; to be published at a later date and the first ever on this subject/medium:) can't wait to see what happens...hope to see ya there;)  Cincinnati, OH-mailto:OH-crasmuss76@yahoo.com

 

UNIVERSAL THINKER  -  Art by: C.T. Rasmussen

Opening Reception:  Friday; August 17, 2012 (6-8pm)

The FCAC Art Gallery will  provide free hors

d’oeuvres and non-alcoholic drinks, a cash bar

will also be provided for wine and beer.

Artist’s Statement:

I wish to inspire mankind’s imagination, to take culture itself beyond our knowledge of science & technology, in which we all can better live in peace. I approach it by using: neo-modernist and abstract expressionist concentrations; through the use of proven, new and mine own experimental techniques.  http://www.pjasmfineart.com/

Exhibition runs from 8/18/12 to 9/29/12;

Days open: Mon.-Fri 8a-8p, Sat. 9a-1p;

Closed Sundays.

This event will be held at the:
Fairfield Community Arts Center. 

411 Wessel Dr.

Fairfield, OH 45014

Ph. 513-867-5348

"A Picture Worth a Thousand Calculations."; Fractal 1 by C.T. Rasmuss.

Fractal 1  C.T. Rasmuss. acrylic (2010).

This is a fractal I believe, I created a few years back; which is one of my most significant works, that has helped lead me to where I am today(to date- 2010; as an artist)...biggest influence for this, is my passion received through the works of 20th century Dutch artist, M.C. Escher!

He wasn't a mathematical nor am I, but I can see it though...hence:

    "A picture worth a thousand calculations."
                                    -C.T. Rasmuss