There is no image still in existance for this. It became part of the sacrifice. This is a portrait of the beautiful, fiery Blackbird. If I'd had a million dollars, I'd have bet that this was real... When I saw that it was not True, and yet before I knew what was, The Blackbird was torn into pieces and reshaped into the trees you see here. In the end, the image of tree would not prove true, and the work was burned in the fire. "Bitterness is like Cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns all clean."
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Needed to put some imagery with this lovely old song for a while now.. It fits. Take a listen. "He sleeps at the bottom of the deep blue sea, and he can't come back to me..." And this came off the easel this week... Kyman finds that place where makers go to make things right.
I love using the leftover paint on the palette to create an image, and this one wanted to be a hummingbird. Hummingbirds, for me, are the living of life, tasting the nectar, flying forward and backward and stopping time, the giving in to creative flow, that state where the rest of the world and time and self disappear...
Taking a break from the maker series for a little project with silver leaf. The leaf is applied to the panel before any of the oil paints. The silvery blue of the laurel leaves is such an elegant color and with the silver leaf, the laurels create a stunning contrast against the warm neutrals of the rocks and sand under the running water. This little painting was one of those stubborn ones that tells you what it is going to be and just refuses to let you do anything else until it is brought into existence. I wanted to work on a different painting. I wanted to work in watercolor, not oil. Didn't want to paint moss. None of that mattered. This had to be. I brought these thorns out of the woods on a cathartic hike a few weeks back. The birch and oak leaves and moss came from my dear grandmother's grave, where I go when I need direction or to let something go. This is the same sparrow that came to visit the day of Shane's funeral and took away my sadness. Sheltered by brambles, the Sparrow simply trusts. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. Proverbs 19:21 Happy New Year!!! Somehow this song, almost as old as the English language, tells this story in another way. Enjoy. Sparrows are the strongest little birds. They are small and look delicate, but they have more stamina than almost any other species of songbird. A sparrow can go for days with no food and finds her strength in numbers. The thorns in this small painting represent life's obstacles, all of which give us opportunity to learn. Thankfully, the sparrow escapes them and finds the freedom to fly to greater heights.
This White Crowned Sparrow was done in oil and silver leaf on panel with a limited palette of lamp black, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, and titanium white.. Because silver leaf is a reflective surface, the effect changes with the light, creating an ethereal feel as you walk by it. The size is 12x16. There is something about using your hands to create... a satisfaction different from any other and a connection that is not to be taken for granted.
Off to the next project.... I couldn't wait to get started on this portrait of local fiddle maker, Alfred Michaels. This is about 10 hours in.
What are conic sections? Conic sections are the elegant shapes that you get when you slice a cone in a straight line. Going back to the Greeks, mathematicians have gone to great lengths to study these shapes. We graph them, write equations for them (click for details), solve problems with them. For example, the lovely parabola can predict the path of a projectile (click for an example), and find the maximum profit in a business situation by modeling a cost revenue function (another example) . Keppler noticed that the planetary orbits were ellipses. The scientific applications are nearly endless and so much fun... but back to what brought us to this discussion...
Here are a couple more ways you can have fun with this math and art connection:Curve StitchingFor visual folks, curve stitching is a fun and easy way to apply these ideas visually. You can draw curves or use string in cardstock or fabric (or even on a fence!) to create a nice project in an afternoon. Click here for a a nicely done overview and tutorial. Solar Cooker
I hope you found something here that interested you, and I look forward to hearing about your adventures!
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