Why Paint Stripes?

Sugar Pot Stripes, 2015. Gouache on panel, 6"x6"

I have a 2015 daily calendar, featuring an art object from the Metropolitan Museum of Art for each day of the year. The June 19th image was a photo of a sugar pot from North Carolina created back in the 1820's. I loved the colors of the stripes and decided to paint a square using those same hues. 

There are several famous abstract artists known for painting compositions employing stripes or striped patterns: Agnes Martin, Bridget Riley, Barnett Newman, come to mind. 

For the viewer, such efforts may seem mindless or too simple to be a "real" painting, i.e., "So, what's the big deal with that?" 

As an artist I enjoyed the simple pleasure of laying down gouache paint in bands of color on a clean white surface, challenging myself to do so freehand (no taped edges), and getting a consistently smooth surface of coverage. Believe it or not, it took 2 days to get this little square "just right". 

Thank you for taking a moment to visit my blog. Enjoy your weekend. 

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Image and text ©2015 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.