This all started with becoming enchanted with the profile of a wonderful woman friend. That day she had worn these huge disc earrings with wonderful concentric designs of
bling set off against her dark hair.
Everytime I caught her profile I thought she looked like a goddess. Well, really, she may well be the Goddess of
Bling and Glitz. So i took a few photos with my cell phone as I had left my trusty digital camera home. Then I started to draw. Things always change once the drawing starts. She became more primal, more essential.
Hmm, a lot younger, boy she would like that one. Then she was no longer she. There was a deeper essence emerging that was linked to nature and my friend was just not a nature girl. the shapes at the left became seashells, an egg, a sky symbol. This was a Muse, an inspiration in and of herself. Haughty little thing, but full of power...her own power. The words along the top are verses from various sources scratched in to be half visible. Clarity is not immediately evident with a Muse. Her flesh is very cool colors with a cool
underpainting. A wild thing, to be pursued, this Muse, but she visited me that day and joined the studio retinue. The gold
gesso reflects the light wonderfully and lets her feel timeless.
A wistful angel. Her wings are embellished with the words of love, but she glances downward as the Dove flies upward to her heart. She is very much a Santa Fe
Santos style angel. I meant for her to be less wistful, but my own heart was sad as painted her and I couldn't stop the sadness from getting into the paint. This happens. If you have ever read "Water for Chocolate" you know that it was a good thing I wasn't cooking anything at the time.Her heart is up in the upper left corner and there are other winged things
in the area trying to remind her how to fly. That is what friends are for. As I painted, the bird came last. It was the hope at the end of the day. She stands in a rustic doorway. Things will be better once she steps through and spreads her wings.
1 comment:
Did you ever see any of the artwork for Dia las muertas, which coincidentally is in November. It's a bit skeletonish and death but it's actually to celebrate loved ones that have passed and to honor them. This for some reason reminded me of someone looking down and keeping an eye on me or us. I think you know of a story from long ago when a boy said he saw his grandmother. She had been gone long before he was born but his parents were talking about her picture and the boy said he knew who she was and that she had tucked him in at night before. Maybe it has something to do with the reddish hair color.
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