I have some work up for the next couple weeks in the Harvest show at the Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative in Charlottesville. I took a bit of a break from the studio this summer, and this is my first show since this time off. I was enjoying time visiting family and friends and catching up on some life maintenance. I made two other paintings this past summer, but that is pretty much it.
While I was working on these images, I was listening to an audiobook called The Palace of Illusions, a novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. I still have about an hour-ish to go in the story. It is a retelling of the ancient Indian epic Mahabhrata from the point of view of Princess Panchaali. For whatever reason, hearing something instead of reading it allows me to more fully imagine the story, and this had so many beautiful and fascinating characters and places to imagine. I didn’t know much about the story before it started, and I was glad to find that it was based on an epic story. I have been slowly nurturing an interest in these types of stories over the last few years.
It seems the novel shares some overlap with my general intentions for my work, which is to create a transcendent image that is still rooted in authentic human experience. I will probably spend the rest of my painting days trying to unravel this knot. I find it very difficult to articulate, probably due to the old cliche: a picture is worth a thousand words. And when you have made 300 + paintings, it really starts to add up.
Even though it is hard, I thought I would share a few things about my work. I’m often asked what my paintings are about, or where I get my inspiration, so I figured I would try to get a few thoughts out about this latest group. I hope that they add to the experience of the paintings.
Waterlily echoes, to some degree, the story of Panchaali’s birth. She arrives through fire, not as an infant, but as a young child - I think. I also see this image as a representation of the heroine being greeted by two archetypal figures - the Crone and the Wise Old Man.
Mrs. Whitegloves was an imaginary figure like the tooth fairy, who was responsible for checking our cabins at summer camp for cleanliness. We would compete with the other cabins to win awards, at least that is what I remember. This image is about our impulse or drive for rejuvenating, refreshing, and purifying both ourselves, and those around us. This habit pops up in many aspects of our lives, from our most basic personal care all the way through to religious traditions and social conventions. I tend to be a messy person, but I do love a good deep cleaning and organizing every few months.
Inhale/Exhale is inspired by breath meditation. In fact, after looking at it for a while, I am starting to see it as a kind of ‘how-to’ painting. I see the figures in the painting as states of the same individual, which is generally true for a lot of my work.
On the left side, the two figures are a kind of before and after of this character. The before is the blue smaller figure. She is opaque, cool, and small as opposed to the larger, transparent version. She (the after) is holding a large glowing fern frond, a symbol of the warm living energetic state she is in after going through this experience.
On the right side is the ‘how-to’ part, meaning how to achieve the transformation shown on the left. The figure lying on the ground is the initial state of this person. The figure sitting on top represents the observer who is watching the breath. The breath itself is represented by the organ-like shapes with red and blue lobes representing oxygenated and unoxygenated lungs/tissues. I combined the lobes with the branches of a plant. This uses the similarity in physical structure between these forms to underscore the life giving nature of the breath.
Moonlake. I see this image as an exploration of seeking, searching, and feeling around in unfamiliar territory. I am often doing this in and out of the studio. I was excited to explore the possibilities of painting a lake, and trying to show what is underwater and above water somehow, without painting the water itself.
Stay tuned for more! I have another show just around the corner. It opens November 5, at Pony Club here in Portland. I’ll be showing with Aidan Koch.
