Lineup, oil/canvas, 12" x 24" is another painting inspired by a recent talk with my sister, Paige, about block play and children in her classroom. In this one I chose to focus exclusively on cylinders, omitting the ball of its predecessor, Lineup with Ball. Also, this time I flooded the cylinders with light, washing out much of the color and emphasizing the contrast between dark and light areas. The remaining objects are almost skeletal. I enjoyed observing and capturing the subtle differences in form among seemingly identical objects.
The repetition inherent in a line of blocks reminds me of the act of learning. Children (and adults, for that matter) need to complete a task many times before mastering the associated skill. These "lineup" paintings celebrate the individual act of placing one cylinder next to another as much as the glory of a final construction.
