A Painting

After looking at Anne Siems' work (thank you, Ulla, for the link!), I was inspired to do some real painting. Her paintings are gorgeous and thought-provoking, and it makes me feel guilty for doing collage instead of painting! I do use paint when I do collage, but it's usually just as a background or to add accents, not to paint the main imagery. And I love the look of pieces that have both collage elements and focal painted elements.

So anyway, here is what I came up with. The face is mine (those of you who know me can tell me whether I've succeeded in doing an accurate representation- I've looked at it for too long to know if it really looks like me or not! I think the eyes are probably too big...). After spending so much time on the face, I didn't feel like trying to do a realistic body, so I cheated and did this "cocoon" sort of body, encased in a wire "cage" with a collaged bird inside. Being a former art therapist, I'm well aware of all the messages my unconscious is probably trying to divulge with this imagery! Do I feel caged? Trapped? Or am I enveloped in a cocoon, on the verge of becoming a butterfly? I prefer not to think about it too much at this point. And, see? There is an opening in the "cage", and the bird is free to fly away, so I take some comfort in that fact!

As is with most of my work, I'm still trying to decide if I like it. I have a real hard time mixing collage with realistic painting. Which is why every time I get an inkling to do some real painting in my work, it's usually a one-time thing, because I struggle so much incorporating it with collage elements. But I did like doing the self-portrait. I used to do self-portraits all the time in college. So maybe I'll continue to play around with that concept...

In case you haven't figured it out, this piece and the piece from yesterday are both in my new tall, skinny journal. Both pieces so far have had my own image in them (yesterday's had a photo). Maybe I'll make that a "rule" for this new journal- each page must have my image. I don't know- maybe, maybe not.

Anyway, this post is too long to include "Corners of My Home", so I'll post that tomorrow!