Mike Lynch, "Camels"

     This week we have a very special image.  If you have not had a chance to look at last weeks, please take a minute and do, as today we have the exact opposite.  Two still lifes that couldn't be more different.

   One week ago I wrote about a collection of objects and, now, I have only a vague memory of individual pieces.  I first saw today's painting several years ago.  It was screaming at me from across a room and I have never forgotten it; one object imbedded in my memory.

   The artist is Mike Lynch (1938-), a Minnesota painter of major distinction.  A large majority of his work are landscapes, often at night, illuminating buildings passed along a lonely country road.  But of all his work, I am especially attracted to this one.  

   Just as his primary work has a basic nostalgic sentiment, so does Camels.  They were the first cigarette on the market in 1917 and soon came to be America's favorite.  Smoking a Camel was not for the weak of heart, it was a talent, and for many young lads attaining the skill was a right of passage.  Camels were unfiltered so the lips came in direct contact with the tobacco. One needed to draw in smoke without damaging the tip in your mouth.  And if you failed, not only would you ruin the cigarette end, get a lip full of tobacco, but be endless teased for being a sissy.  Learning this talent was something definitely reserved for behind the barn, alone.  

    We must be happy those days are behind us, for Lynch's painting does speak of a different time.  But, how beautifully he does so.  He has carefully set the pack on some kind of a ledge, almost like a pedestal.  Notice how the pack and all horizontal lines are all parallel.  Except for the one cigarette out burning, the pack is full.  I know because Camels came tightly packed in a soft package.  To get the first one out, you needed to tip the container over and gently tap it.  Then two or three on the end would slide out so you could grab just one.  If this pack were even half empty, the container would be squashed some, hard to stand on end.  But no, here it sits:  proud, bold, almost in-your-face.  

   Typical of Lynch, light is very important.  We have no hint of where it is coming from but it seems to be fairly direct.  I love the placement of all the elements in the lower half, with only the beautiful line of blue smoke trailing up out of sight.  No breeze to blow at an angle, just a straight line, parallel to the cigarettes popping out of the pack.  A perfectly constructed composition.  The color harmony is complementary: blue and a warm orange/brown.      

   I received special permission from The Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis for including Camels this week.  Many more of Mike Lynch's work is available for purchase and can be seen on the Groveland's website (grovelandgallery.com).  I encourage you to look.  So a big THANK YOU to the Groveland!   

   Camels is a oil on panel.   Framed it measures 13.5" x 12.5", and was painted in 2017.  It is now in a private collection. 

Make Art a part of your life, it's a beautiful thing to do.