White Out of the Box

It was the luck of the draw that Judith's name was pulled out of the hat to submit an artwork for the Bolinas Museum bi-annual fundraiser Hardly Strictly Mini. 

The Bolinas Museum writes: 

Join us for this favorite biennial holiday exhibition and sale that presents artworks by nearly 100 accomplished coastal Marin and Bay Area artists! Paintings, sculpture, photography, and more – there is something to delight everyone. Almost all artists are selected by an equitable lottery as well as a core group selected by recent Bolinas Museum curators and staff. Participating artists have the choice to contribute either three artworks no larger in any dimension than 6 x 6 inches or one artwork no larger than 18 x 18 inches. The result is exciting, high caliber, varied, and affordable! It is an opportunity for all to give themselves or loved ones the timeless gift of art. Purchases benefit both the artists and the Bolinas Museum. 

Opening Reception: Saturday, November 20, 3-5 PM

Judith writes about her entry White Out of the Box — 2021:

Why is there something and not nothing?

Calcite and chalk were the first whites used by Paleolithic artists, rendering animals thundering across the walls of caves, in the Dordogne region of France. Although the exact meaning of these artistic expressions may never be known, they are thought to represent some symbolic or religious function.

White is the most common color of plastic that regularly washes up on to Kehoe Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore. As shards and fragments, these objects represent the use-it and toss-it ethos of our contemporary consumer culture.

Now take a minute and let your eyes adjust, to the seemingly monochrome of this box. With white, nothing but white, there is not the distraction of color wheel colors. But there are subtle variations of the shades. Allow the light reflecting from the shapes to come into view.

You might wonder why white would be included in any discussion about color. White does play an important role in any palette and on any paper. That said, which white is right? From eggshell to polar bear, or how about mayonnaise?

Back in the day, white was made from a carbonate of lead but, unfortunately that caused another kind of delirium. Once it was discovered that lead was the culprit many artists gave up on Lead White. These days a trip to the paint store will reveal an astonishing selection of non-toxic paints:

And, these days, during a walk on the beach you can easily collect a bag full of plastic in whites: antique to quartz to beige, pale cream to golden to caramel.