A Small Experimental Drawing (and the law of intended consequences)
by Steven McCabe
After visiting the JMW Turner exhibition for a second time at the Art Gallery of Ontario and wading through the busloads of students and groups of seniors from retirement/nursing homes I realized how fortunate I had been on Friday night when the place was half deserted. Possibly half full.
Again I am reminded of Turner’s grey. Vanishing yet insistent. Drawing the eye. Drawing the eye into. Possibly even halfway in.
Sometimes one is drawn by the air of an unexplored territory. Or summoned by insistent mystery. Summoned halfway into a vanishing mystery.
I focus on the brilliant whites in Turner’s work, and escape the crush, wandering into a drawing exhibition pulled from the print & drawing vaults.
Three of the works refresh anew my dilemma. I think of the Judge’s black robes.
I join a raiding party. The Captain’s name is Font. His horse is called Halfway.
The raiding party does not solve my crisis. Nevertheless I raise the end of a burnt stick from the fire.
Marking the edge of the law. My declaration marking the edge of the law.
There is no natural boundary to the embedded law of intended consequence.
Another edge must roll it back to where it came from. Or swallow it. Leaving its bones along the trail.
The edge of the sun!
The ambers, and whites, and Naples Yellow in Turner’s sky, radiating with silent resolution.
Let me tell you a story about Naples Yellow.
I visited an artist one night many years ago.
There are many stories to tell about that night but I will tell you this one.
When I was leaving, at the bottom of the stairs, the artist began talking about Naples Yellow.
And did not stop.
The artists, the art periods, the art movements involved with Naples Yellow.
The secret uses of Naples Yellow, The powers of Naples Yellow, the magic of Naples Yellow.
Perhaps Naples Yellow can solve my dilemma.
poemimage 
Your text provides guidance to the viewer, and unity to the images, which is especially valuable to those like me not well-versed in how art can be presented. This post is one of your best. Interesting, very memorable. It’s the merging of the story with the images that makes it so. – C.
Hi Chris and thank you. And I’m glad this post works for you in a sense of the text and the images unified. The magic of Photoshop in blending two sets of images! I had actually created a file of ‘Naples Yellow’ images about a month ago for no particular reason. Now I know why. And as this post shifted into shape layered them with ‘a small experimental drawing’ & details of same. Using my own material in a post it’s possible to edit the text as I create the images. I found 20 notifications in my email spam box saying ‘Post changed.’ Rearranging images and phrasing. I’m surprised it was only 20. Thanks very much for these thoughts.
Your art always inspires thought, but this one sent me on an especially interesting exploration. My associations:
Naples Yellow: the chemical compound ‘lead” or antimonate; toxic (but only if it dominates and is not used consciously and with caution.)
Metaphorical meaning of the color yellow: acquired knowledge, mind and intellect: an embedded edge? Also associated with mental creativity: inspires original thought, new ideas, new ways of doing things, awakens enthusiasm and confidence. A new edge to roll back the edge of embedded law to where it came from?
Reminder. Memory? Unexplored territory? Insistent mystery?
Approval. The mysterious judge in black who originated the embedded law?
Declaration. The Courageous Captain Font riding a horse named Halfway to some place between embedded law and original thought?
I agree that this is one of your best. Jeanie
Hi Jeanie, Thanks so very much for these striking thoughts. I feel like I’m in the middle of a surreal, metaphysical song, poem or film reading your interpretations. I forget I had anything to do with the images/processes your are referencing.
A new edge to roll back the edge of embedded law to where it came from? Yes. The new edge can and will roll back the law. I just thought of the phrase ‘on a roll.’ Roll out the barrels, we’ll have a barrel of fun.
Metaphorical meaning of the color yellow: acquired knowledge, mind and intellect: an embedded edge? This can be true too can’t it. If the law can be embedded why not the properties of yellow. Strangely enough I found a letter my mother wrote the same summer I traveled to Vancouver with a copy of ‘Letters to Theo’ in my backpack. I found this letter after her death. She said she was making a dress for a wedding. She said ‘Van Gogh yellow.’ At the end of her letter she wrote ‘P.S. Do you like Van Gogh?’ The song ‘Yellow’ by Coldplay means a lot to me.
I see that you picked up on the three words in the text collage: Reminder, Approval, Declaration as anchors of the ‘plot.’ I used two of them. I edited out ‘Approval and disapproval’ at one point.
Approval. The mysterious judge in black who originated the embedded law? Oh Yes, absolutely! :- ) The ‘wound.’
Reminder. Memory? Unexplored territory? Insistent mystery? Yes like a circle. Now this turns into layers. The memory of unexplored territory an insistent mystery. The embedded edge of the law deny ing access to what must be ‘insistently’ unexplored (?) Perhaps.
Declaration. The Courageous Captain Font riding a horse named Halfway to some place between embedded law and original thought? I love this image. Yes and what is he doing. Leading a raiding party. An advance scout for the new edge? He has a lawless quality to himself and yet ‘Font’ sounds rather elegant.
There must be some Tarot equivalent.
Thank you so very much Jeanie. You have commented and questioned in a way that fleshes out the impulse. As the artist considering these contemplations it’s like adding a new dimension!
Font as in print face or Source?
That is a very good question. My original idea was print face but because there is a double meaning at play another sort of ‘font’ might have wanted to be known. I could have easily said Captain Gutenberg. Well, this is interesting. Another nice discovery!
hey steve this was great – didn’t enjoy the turner as much as i had hoped to – but would go back with your poem and do it all again!
Hi William, thank you. I guess with visual art & music and everything else, to each their own. I have to admit I was transfixed by Mr. Turner. Now I’m imagining this poem on one of those audio guides. Please AGO hire me! :- ) Glad to hear from you William.
How immensely Creative you are! The perfect yellow dab, equivalent to Turner’s own final scarlet buoy!
Thank you Penn. The clip of Mr. Turner painting the buoy was part of the exhibition at the AGO. Some things get XRayed into the mind. Whooshing in. Whooshing out. It’s amazing how memory works. Thank you for this thought.
Buoyed by that buoy, o BOY!
Yes it is amazing how memory works…. your work Steven and the response it elicited persuaded me to do a little research. Besides, I’m a yellow fiend. I love its unrestrained qualities.
I am completely challenged (whoa!) by the idea that Naples Yellow is said to have the quality of “receding into the distance on the picture plain” which you are illustrating here with your story….what an graphic illustration!
I once painted the walls of a house on commission in golds and yellows…layers and layers of glazing, mixing in restrained greens and purples and rose. It fell like light.
Everyone who saw it said it “felt” like a Turner painting. I was using a 2″ brush to glaze across the surface….hmmmm …colors have their way with us don’t they….
Hi j.h., Thank you for these thoughts. I love how you are zeroing in on Naples Yellow. And how you describe yellow as having ‘unrestrained qualities.’
That house sounds like it might have floated away! Or people inside it would be perpetually ‘receding into the distance on the picture plain.’ It certainly sounds like a wonder, your glazed apparition / reality. ………the ‘Turner House…’
Beautiful.
A poem inspiring a poem and so much more. Very greatful for these gifts you share. -H
Thank you Heather. very much.
Inspiring and inspired, the Turner dream drift. Have you been to Naples? It is a city in which all yellows are subdued to earth and mellowed by a rusting sun. You are the layering master, Steven…
Hi John. I’ve never been in the heart of Naples proper, only the train station. Spent a few days in Pozzuoli. The way you say ‘all yellows are subdued to earth and mellowed by a rusting sun…’ is utterly poetic. I certainly want to be there right now! Yes I love the magic of the layering in Photoshop. Sort of an alchemical rhythm one can find. Thank you for your thoughts John.