The weather in Minnesota is fickle this time of year. It really wants to be Spring but Ol’ Man Winter keeps saying, “no, I’m not ready for bed yet.” The good thing is you don’t feel guilty for being indoors working on things and I think the long winters are the key to those who master their art forms.
However, given I have plenty of time to work on my “Art and Aphantasia” grant project, I am debating on scrapping a canvas completely or keep on trying. Man, this one has been challenging and I’ve decided I know why, the composition and the colors both are just beating me up.
The one below looks better here, but it’s still a flippin’ mess. The top is the most current version and none of them work at all for me, but I am hoping it will eventually reveal enough for me to work with. During my painting session where I go “live,” I try to narrate any process or discoveries made along the way. In this case of this apparition painting, I feel like I am taking those very non-objective shapes, colors and line and leading my brain to solid memories of places. While vague, this one reminded me of Multnomah Falls, Turtle Lake where the beaver dam is and the lake above it. So the tools, the memories and the apparitions are the goals I set for myself along with creating a new body of work. And I had a light bulb moment to start with apparition, but le the canvas reveal the memories I have vs. me doing a separate memory painting and a separate apparition. This allows the canvas, the brush, and the paint to direct me vs. me directing the paint.
(more below)
I’ve now completed a hammer, a scissors, and this hand drill for the tools. I am painting these without a photo reference, the physical object, or a mental image because of the image free thinking that is aphantasia.
The drill is painted on a substrate I’ve never used before, so there is a bit of a learning curve as it’s a super smooth aluminum and instantlly shows brushstokes. For my style of work, that maybe to my advantage, but it also can pull up the layers underneath.
What I will do next is send off a couple of files for color proofs to see if I have my monitor calibrated correctly. The prints for the hammer were a little off. Not that I need them to be exact, but they were a little too off for my liking.
Video 10 – Hand drill, painting on aluminum panel.
(Disclaimer: I am not taking the time to edit for a polished video, nor are they meant to be teaching videos, although I tend to impart information about what I am doing.
Dawn Rossbach is a fiscal year 2025 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Dawn Rossbach 
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