December 19th, 2018

In making the most of 2018, a radical departure from my pastel practicing journey. A group show with our local drawing club took the challenge of Figure in Relationship as far as I wanted to go with my own internal interpretation of the subject. Two pieces shown here are done in acrylic and are 4'x5' canvas paintings along with the artist statement for each piece.

​The Empty Nest- Finding a new Relationship with Self
 
Who this female artist is.
A self that changes direction to a different path in life.
Social norms expect that growing up as a woman, getting married, having children---expectations envelop this artist’s life. Expectations and fulfillment!?
The female artist, without a family, creates to fulfill her desire for creation.
The Painting
The young widow makes a nest, a home, a safe place to fall.
Age has changed the potential for new life, the nest will be forever empty.
The nest was built from loss of relationships.
The Crow, the trickster---the promises not kept---waiting for a change that never happens.
Fly away, Trickster, Fly away, Crow.
Her promise of a family of her very own is stolen.
Passing on namesakes and strong family roots.
The relationship of family history is forever broken by the departure of all
And the birth of none.
 
“The Empty Nest” is a painting ripe with symbolism of a woman following an inner guidance of what seemed to be expected of her. It is about the end of the first chapter of her life and the relationships that have been severed forever.
This nest was built from the loss of relationships.
The nest will be filled with renewed expectations. A new relationship with self. An Intuitive self.
 
 

The Struggle is Real
 
There is a vulnerability on both parts of the relationship between the artist and the model.
There is a seeking, a searching in the relationship of artist to their art.
This is an integrity in the relationship of artist to authenticity.
There is frustration and a grappling in the relationship of artist to self-reflection.
All of these statements reveal that “The Struggle IS Real”.
The relationship with the figure is like dancing with shadows. It is hard to grasp, sometime. There is a relationship of trust between the artist and model, and a relationship of trust, within the artist, to believe in the vision.
The artist portrays the relationship between Classical figure drawing and the painting of Mickey Mouse. The Vitruvian Mickey Mouse (taken from an image by Dan Whiston, Disney artist), portrays the struggle the artist feels in exacting realism in her subject, only to come up with a cartoon character extruded from her model.   The agony and the defeat of a purposeful movement within the artists’ mind.
This is not a hobby. This is not easy. This is not a walk in the proverbial park. Like all things grand, the work it takes to get to where you are, is real. The struggle and frustration getting you there, is real. The results are what proves your purpose.
 
Some of my favorite quotes form Mickey Mouse.
“If you can dream it, you can do it”
“Smile, Breathe, and Believe in magic”
“All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them”
 
And my favorite:
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”
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