Over the past few years, one of the great pleasures in my creative journey has been making the acquaintance of the Langosy family. Collaborating with illustrator Zoe Langosy has helped me view my photography in new ways and develop an evolving appreciation for collage. Her sister Hadley is a creative web designer but it is her photography that moves me with the ethereal beauty of her images. Mother Elizabeth Langosy is an editor and writer whose words always make me think more deeply about the craft of writing. As for my most recent Langosy inspiration? That would be patriarch, Donald. Each time I have the honor of visiting the Langosy home, I enter and fall into the worlds he has created on canvas. I only slightly exaggerate.
The canvases, of which there are many, loom large. Each frame contains a story with a single moment captured. Just barely.
In just about every painting I’ve seen there is an act in progress, a transformation taking place. There is motion. Whimsy abounds …
… as does a celebration of nature …
… and of travels …
… and most definitely of love. As he will tell you immediately in person and notes in his writing, his wife is his muse and often his model.
I have always admired artists that meld light and color to tell a powerful story. While I do love Mr. Langosy’s use of color, what especially inspires me about his work is the poetry in his paintbrush. Even before I read his artist statement and learned of his literary beginnings, I could see the love of myth,magic and lore on his canvases.
On the Isle of Prospero by Donald Langosy
Given that he’s been painting since the 1970’s, it takes time to view Mr. Langosy’s work. I hope quite soon that he has a major public exhibition but until then view his paintings, sculpture, and more online: The Art of Donald Langosy An Obsure Moment Justified
Enjoy! 😉
… the leaves clustered at the bottom of this painting, like the ones you can kick about beneath a tree that has loosed all of its foliage … those leaves were created from the beautiful words of Robert Frost in poems I copied from a book. I simply wanted to see “frost on leaves.” We’ll see what the rest of the week has to hold as the moon wanes. 😉
As I explore the craft, I am having a lot of fun with layering papers of different colors and textures, and playing around with the concepts that I take for granted in my photography like illumination, the flow of water, and capturing winged creatures in flight. In the above picture, I want to add a sail boat with billowing white sails. There’s a reason why but I’ll share that reason later if I manage to make a passable sailing vessel. 😉
Words + Images 