11.27.2010
The Human Face: The Medium for Soul Meetings
I've been thinking a lot about the Mona Lisa.And this statement by James McMullan: The human head is potentially the most emotional subject an artist can choose. We spend our lives scanning other people’s faces to assess their relationship to us and our feelings towards them.*
And why do I find myself most passionate about faces and human bodies and postures right now? I trained in Interdisciplinary Arts, so I've worked in fashion, animation, video, street intervention, sound, and dance, in addition to 2D, so why faces, and why now?**
My long time interest in archetypes informs my current practice to an extent; seeing those universal attributes expressed in the individual psyches of my very own family and friends provides some sort of link to all of humanity. But my interest goes deeper than just that, because I could study those archetypes in a quicker, more stylized manner, and I have, (i.e. Cultivate, a study of the Demeter/Ceres archetype, based on human form yet so stylized to be cartoon-y, even.)
So why am I now intrigued by the more realistic rendering of photographic subjects? All of whom are family and friends, and who've touched my live in some way.
Part of it is practical; I want to deepen my confidence in technique and practice. I want to really advance my spatial ability with perspective and shading, and crosshatching, but more...
I'm fascinated with this apparent, illusory reality, as it visually occurs via light and shadow expressed through our faces, and how it connects to alternate realities of emotion, meaning, intention, unconscious, subconscious, and our true essence.
Our human social bonding techniques are essential and outstanding in terms of evolution, and depend on the emotional information relayed by faces and postures. But beyond the evolutionary imperative for social bonding: "Your body's whole purpose is to join this visible and invisible realms, and intelligence isn't the only force that wants to express itself through you. So do creativity, truth, beauty, and love."*** And this moves me deeply.
All the humor, sincerity, levity, depth, intensity, concepts, and passions exhibited by our human form are so captivating and sacred to me, I can't help but be engrossed by photographs of captured moments. I want to examine them deeper with my graphite pencils until I can see -- and therefore know**** -- the smiles and eye glints and embraces of these forms. Our masks often serve the ego's agenda, but I'm most interested when I glimpse the higher consciousness shining through.
My investigation often inspires my own interpretations of the energetic quality of the form. While I aim for realism for each face, the rest of the visual field relaxes with my inquiries: "What is this soul expressing to me?" and "How, energetically, does this look and feel?" This exploration becomes more abstract to a viewer, and I hope that it touches their soul too.
Back to the Mona Lisa. I imagine Da Vinci obsessing with rendering the face as realistically as possibly, but then there's this imaginary landscape behind her, which to me, represents a vastness and boundlessness of spirit. What was Da Vinci capturing with that? I comprehend it as a study of the vast wilderness of the female mystique. How bout you? Our answers don't really matter so much as the fact that this painting has fascinated us all for so long. Part of this, too, is the enigma of her expression. The mystery of what lies within.
To my many muses: Thank you for inspiring me, and thank you to your souls, for speaking to mine.
*http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/plumbing-the-head
**Thank you to Craig Carlson, who, years ago, in our I Want Burning class, said, "Ask yourselves, Why Rumi? And why Now?"
***Deepak Chopra, Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul
****Zen of Seeing: Seeing/Drawing as Meditation, by the wonderful Frederick Franck, whose sculpture garden Pacem en Terris I had the honor to visit.
11.18.2010
On She-Ra, Wonder Woman, and Queen of the Amazons.
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| From R e a l e y e s G a l l e r y |
2010 | 20" x 24" | mixed media on acid-free paper vellum
Buy (Very Affordable) Prints
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This year I re-watched every single episode of She-ra ever released, and it proved an absolutely fascinating study of the moral imprints embedded within each story, not to mention the strong archetypal characters, including both ancient throwbacks and newer personas created for our times.
Cast of She-ra characters and corresponding archetypes:
Adora/She-ra and Adam/He-man of course -- straight out of Joseph Campbell's hero's journey; the great warrior/seeker who lives within us all
Bo -- to me, Bo represents the modern Renaissance man, a team player, comfortable serving under women, while also reminiscent of The Archer, The Sagittarius, and Tantra’s Santipa; steadfastedly aiming for the goal
Hordac and Skeletor-- evil incarnate, Hades-like, lives in a realms of death where nothing grows, driven by fear and greed
Frosta -- elemental figure like The Four Winds, personifying Winter
Glimmer -- Eos, the Dawn
Cat-ra -- Bastet, the personification of feminine cat-like behaviors; sensual and dangerous
Sorceress -- Oracle of Delphi
Tela -- Amazon, warrior princess
Light Hope -- Godly Pure Goodness / Enlightenment
Madame Razz – kindly grandmother white witch
Shadow Weaver -- Hera, wife of Zeus; insecure, jealous, proud, sorceress
Mermista -- water nymph
She-ra, like Wonder Woman, represents Amazonian strength and self-sufficiency. Researching the Amazons turned up all these amazing female characters who fought in wars and built temples and lived separate from men.
Queen Hipp (or Hippo, or Hippolyta), as appropriated by the Wonder Woman creators, gave her this advice: “let no man chain [you] together or you will be forced to obey him...” The bracelets on Diana’s wrists were to “teach you the folly of submitting to man’s domination.” (http://www.wonderwomandvd.net)
In ancient story, Hipp was a famous queen who helped found the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Cyrene, and Myrina. She conquered the Asia Minor and Syria, and then set up a wooden statue of Artemis next to a beech tree in Ephesus. Amazons would often go there to perform rituals like the shield dance, beating the ground in unison to the accompaniment of pipes playing a wild, warlike melody.
"Amazonism is a universal phenomenon. In time and reality, the Amazon Kingdoms not only comprise an extremist end of matriarchy but also are a beginning and a purpose in themselves. In the bright light, their boldness turned into wisdom."
~ H. Diner (http://www.warriors-wizards.com/famous_amazons.htm)
Queen Hipp (process)
For me, this posture, these bracelets, the glint in Virginia's eye, all embody that feisty fire within. It flames up when we're called upon to stand up for each other, as superheros and mythical figures do. But we all do this in our mundane lives too, when we fight for our friends to be treated with respect and when we make choices to encourage justice for animals and when we march against the WTO. These myths imbue in our children the moral code, and they become essential tools for our society to evolve.
With this work I offer up my small glimpse of the sacred heroic strength to add to our human collection of inspiring figures. I can recognize that mythic face right here.
11.15.2010
7th Annual Interdimensional Art Show in SF
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| From Meghan Oona / Realeyes Gallery Events |
I'll be showing new work and would love to see you there!
Sat. Nov. 20th, 2010, noon - 4 A.M. | Work on display thru dec. 20th
Madrone Studios, 1417 15th St. SF, CA 94103 | Tickets at Tribe13.com
11.08.2010
Soul Sisters Diptych I & II
Dedicated to Annie and Jenny for reminding us of the comfort we find in our sisterhoods.
sis·ter /ˈsɪstər/[sis-ter] –noun
Origin: bef. 900; ME (n.) < ON systir; c. OE sweoster, D zuster, G Schwester, Goth swistar; akin to Serbo-Croatian sèstra, Lith sesuõ, L soror (< *swesor ), OIr siur, Welsh chwaer, Skt svasar sister, Gk éor daughter, niece
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| From Soul Sisters |
2010 | 14" x 20" | mixed media on acid-free paper vellum
Buy (Very Affordable) Prints
Buy High Quality Stretched Canvas, Metal, Acrylic Prints and More
Buy Original
 |
| From Soul Sisters |
2010 | 14" x 20" | mixed media on acid-free paper vellum | original and prints available
Being raised alongside my sweet sister, I'm so grateful for such a constant touchstone in my life. Evolved sisterhood amounts to a true friendship based on compassion, respect, trust, and shared life experience. Whether of the same womb, same childhood, or same life path, this secure bond among female friends offers a playmate, confidant, sounding board, and protectress who enriches our lives.
Soul Sisters I & II (process)
Props to Rose for capturing these special moments on camera, as she does: www.RoseBarling.com.
A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double. ~Toni Morrison
She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child. ~Barbara Alpert
Sisters function as safety nets in a chaotic world simply by being there for each other. ~Carol Saline
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