Monthly Archives: April 2011

Apr19

“…and know the place for the first time.”

Posted on April 19, 2011 by 4 Rooms and the Moon

Collage 8.5 x 5 inches. Gouache, watercolor, oil pastel, charcoal, acrylic, found objects, tea bag paper, on 300 lb watercolor paper coldpress.

“We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.”

T.S. Eliot, from “Little Gidding”

I am putting my 2010 journal together, Imaginary Conversations VI, by binding it between the covers of a discarded book. These two collages were among the 2010 pages, and I began playing around with the original composition since I felt they brought little to the overall 2010 collection. I think they now belong to the 2011 journal!

This was the original composition, underneath the above drawing. It was just a little inkdrop that I filled in with markers and glued to a larger 8.5″ x 5″ piece of watercolor paper.

Collage #2

Collage. 8.5″ x 5″ 300 lb coldpress watercolor paper. Gouache, watercolor, acrylic, charcoal, oil pastel, collage papers.

This is the original little inkdrop which is underneath the above drawing.

(detail) Collage #1.

(detail) Collage #2

Apr10

The Mermaid’s Hands

Posted on April 10, 2011 by 4 Rooms and the Moon

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“The Mermaid’s Hands” 24″ x 36″ Acrylic on canvas

Unfinished canvas #2 is finally finished! I am really happy to be finishing these ghosts, bringing them to completion and daylight. ” The Mermaid’s Hands” began with a whole mermaid. My neighbor suggested upon viewing it that I add some glitter; I think that’s the moment I wasn’t waiting for! I began by painting it over with black gesso and wiping and blotting it off while it was still wet, as the hands began to emerge I realized I didn’t need the whole figure – the hands were less “Ariel” without the body! No glitter needed! (ha)

I have one more large canvas to finish and I will be finished with the unfinished. I don’t usually leave artwork unfinished, so these three were really bugging me. The last one is quite large, but not a lot of color, hopefully it will go fairly quickly and I can begin something new!

(detail) “The Mermaid’s Hands”

Apr3

“Leaving Eden”

Posted on April 3, 2011 by 4 Rooms and the Moon

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“Leaving Eden” 24 x 36 inches acrylic on canvas

This is a painting I began in 2005. My goal for 2011 is to finish some canvases I began several years ago. This painting has undergone many metamorphoses. It was one of the first canvases I worked on when I began painting again in 2005, and quickly discovered I didn’t have the skill I needed to produce the inner vision I had of the subject matter. I still feel that my skill is lacking and I am disappointed in the figure as looking more cartoonish than I envisioned. I will continue to tweak the figure, but at this point I find that more “tweaking” is causing more mistakes that need correcting, so I am stopping at this point and waiting to see what happens at some future date.

I have always had a fascination with the story of the Garden of Eden, and imagine the leaving as chaotic and frightening, especially for Eve who was blamed for everything! My ‘Eve’ is jumping bravely into the unknown, who knows where her partner is, but she is on her way, giving a careful look to the burning guardian of the gate. I have also read of ‘Lilith,’ who was said to be the first partner of Adam, but she was so uppity and independent she had to be banished. Perhaps this is not Eve, but Lilith.

Detail of “Leaving Eden” (left side of painting)