Painting can be a solitary time of feelings that range from excitement and energy to self doubt and total desperation. If you are an artist, and cannot relate - good for you. I often find myself with the former emotions rather than to later. The great sports commentary from the Grenoble Winter Olympics (1968) - "The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" often comes to mind.
Since my recuperation is moving along, I can once again work with large canvases. To save paint (and reservation) I often do a smaller version of what I have in mind in order to get the size and colors where I want them before I commit paint and brush to canvas.
My latest undertaking is an abstract of Sylvia Shaw Justin' s 1936 bronze statute entitled "Little Wendy". Most of us will recognize this as "the "Bird Girl" from the cover of John Berendt's 1994 novel "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil". Fun facts - the statute of is one of the four commissioned. It was later bought by a family for their cemetery plot at the famous Bonaventure Cemetery. After the release of the movie by the same name, "Little Wendy" had to be relocated to a museum in Savannah to protect her from vandalism and the family's plot from being trampled and disrupted by very enthusiastic movie fans. Now this statute is known everywhere as "Bird Girl".
My thought was to recreate the image in an abstract form. Putting image to canvas using whatever talent I can summon. I never share any draft versions of a work before the final is ready. In this case, I did, Not because I am happy with the initial work (I am not at all) but to force me to produce a finished product. So I will eventually produce the final piece or have to admit failure.
Stay tuned.
Add comment
Comments