August 9, 2012
Yashoda and Jesus
Creating Something that has Never Been Seen Before
A Picture Totally New to the World
Painting Process Documentation
May, 2012. My muse has been leading me down a golden path of visual exploration and discovery. For many years, I dallied with graven images of ancient gods and goddesses. I began to see that celebrities inhabit the Hollywood pantheon of early twenty first century chaos. So, I wrestled with the features of celebrities. Following Queen Muse, step by step, I came to the place were celebrity faces inhabit the bodies of deified concepts. Celebrities were matched and mated with ancient deities and pictures created. Belushi Bacchus, Angelina Medusa, Oprah Cleopatra, (Cleopatra not technically a goddess, but close enough).
I thought, who is the biggest celebrity of all times? Mary Madonna became my muse. I gave her a modern day makeover. Her look was sooo unfashionable.
In May this year, I discovered that Jesus and Krishna had been switched at birth in an alternate reality. I visualized the two pictures and started working them with Photo Shop.
August 9, 2012. I start the Yoshoda and Jesus painting on canvas on a quiet, overcast day. The creation of this image began earlier when I made the digital version. I print out the digital version and use it as a draft, a reference, a study. The first marks on the 36"x48" canvas are conte chalk, to map out the primary lines. I do measurements on the study, to translate the proportions to the canvas. I have dyslexia for the measurements, finally I guesstimate placement. I have a nice studio where I can work, mostly undisturbed, in a beautiful setting. An estimate of the hours that I work in the studio is 30-40 hours per week. I do Photoshop almost daily.
August 12. After the third day, I have the main areas of color blocked in. The dogs, Harpo and Princess Fou Fou, hang out with me. When it rains, almost everyday, the weather cools slightly, and I open the two sets of double doors of the studio, the north side looks onto a small scraggly lawn and trees, and the west side looks into the Louisiana jungle.
I work all over the canvas. I use large brushes first and work my way down to tiny red sable brushes for detail. Brush techniques include lines, scrubbing with the ragged bristles of old brushes, scrumbling (which was a favorite of Monet), dancing brush, and lots of glazing. I want the style to be painterly, but often that desire is overruled by the wish for fine detail in some places. The small brush is annoying, I consider changing my style. I wont change, I like this style. It is pop art influenced.
There are many Yin/Yang decisions to be made. Painterly vs detail. Realistic vs expressive design. Saturated exciting color vs elegant muted tones. For the past few years I have exploded with saturated colors.
August 16. Continuing to paint all over the canvas, I refine and define. I think that my current style looks like vintage illustration for children's books. My Mother read to me when I was a child and I read to my children. I give my grandchildren books. This is one of the best things that a mother can do for a child. "The Color Kittens", was a preschool favorite of mine. It taught me the color wheel early. I was tuned into color as a baby, I remember.
I just gave you advice on child care. That correlates with the interest in mother and child icons. This image is a visual metaphor for the human longing for joyful, comforting, totally accepting, supportive, heavenly, motherly love. The use of figures from different cultures emphasizes that this longing is global, a desire of all humans. The image comforts us because it portrays ideal compassion.
Even excellent mothers sometimes let their children down. It is the most challenging job in the world. The care of children gives us a second chance, to attempt the creation of perfect love.
Here is a vast generalization; Mother love is accepting, father love challenges us to be better. We need both the Yin and the Yang.
August 17. The digital version of this image has a camellia flower for an aura. Aura's allow lots of room for play. I used to see aura's in time past, when I was doing a lot of meditation, fasting and yoga. When in an altered state, I saw lights around people. Somehow, I have moved away from those spiritual practices. I always plan to get back to it. But, I would rather paint and garden. Maybe next week.
I think that you might call me an explorer of inner consciousness. This is part of my artistic practice.
August 18. Auras appear as ethereal, transparent, colored light; with flow, movement. Here I made large halos with floating flowers. The digital study has a tree, here I put the figures in heavenly clouds.
The baby face really does not please me. I change the features many times. But, still trying to get it right. I wish that I could paint better.
Weather remains hot, but if I dress lightly, I like the doors open. Love bugs land on the canvas, while doing a flying fuggle. The love bug season comes every year to Louisiana. They can be annoying, their gism gets tragically splattered all over our cars. They come in swarms. But, what an inspiring reminder that this creature on this amazing Earth, exists simply to do the Flying Fruggle.
Adjusting placement of features, and detailing take a lot of time. Pleasurable time. I like the clouds, they get better everyday.
To be continued
