X

This very day marks the 10th anniversary of my dot art blog. It's a milestone as well as a somber moment for me. I'm reminded of my evacuation from and my return to the New Orleans area.

Last year I pursued an "X' design in three large dot paintings. This year I created three more large paintings using an "X." I also have a couple of batches, of smaller unfinished dot paintings, that are rooted in an "X" design.

As the Katrina anniversary came around, local newspapers published numerous photos of the aftermath from ten years ago. A common sight around the city was a giant "X' spray painted on the front of homes. The top quadrant marked the date a house was searched. The right quadrant included a code for what hazards lay inside. The left quadrant had the initials of the search squad. And the bottom quadrant had a body count.

For a few years now I planned to use the "X" as design structure in my dot paintings. But then this year I thought of another reason to include an "X." "X" can also be the Roman Numeral for "ten."

In last year's anniversary post, I mentioned being in an artistic rut. Well, I'm still in one, in spite of my seeking inspiration from trips to galleries and art museums in the area. I just have to work through this phase.