Strange Place

30 Paintings in 30 Days, hosted by fabulous artist Leslie Saeta.

 

Day Twenty-Five:  "Strange Place"

 

Yes, of course, there are references to The Shining. I used the obnoxious twins from Alice in Wonderland to play the roles of the two girls in the hallway of the hotel. 237 is the number of the room which a character is told never to enter, and I placed the single numbers in a way that they suggest to be markers of a crime scene. 

 

There are no doors though, and no rooms. Just a bare and small mattress on the floor, the pillow doesn't look like it would add comfort. It doesn't look like  a place to rest or sleep. Maybe the mattress is the center of the crime scene, but there is no marker.

 

I could have named this piece "Hearing Room" as well.

 

"Strange Place"

Mixed media: watercolor, magazine and storybook clippings, ink, on watercolor paper, 10.75" x 7.5"

 

 

Get Your Story Straight

30 Paintings in 30 Days, hosted by fabulous artist Leslie Saeta.

 

Day Twenty-Four:  "Get Your Story Straight"

 

Remember the Princess and the Pea? Right.

 

Mixed media: watercolor, yellowed edges from book pages, storybook clippings, ink, on watercolor paper, 5.5" x 8.25"

Traveler

30 Paintings in 30 Days, hosted by fabulous artist Leslie Saeta.

Day Twenty-Three:  "Traveler"

 

Oh my, now I'm already two days behind ... This piece took me quite long with all those layers involved. Anyways - it's finished now, and I like how it turned out.

 

I used maps from an old atlas under a thin coat of gesso to make "a world" with diverse people living behind open or closed windows. Some people interact with each other, some don't. It seems peaceful.

 

The Traveler, barefoot and voyaging without luggage, wants to come in. The story of a migrant maybe.  How will he be received?  

 

"Traveler"

Mixed media: acrylics, old maps, gesso, storybook clippings, ink, on canvas panel,  20" x 16"

 

Hush

30 Paintings in 30 Days, hosted by fabulous artist Leslie Saeta.

Day Twenty-Two:  "Hush"

Doesn't this sound lovely: people's arguments and misunderstandings are ended simply by being knit into a comforting sweater.  - I've had this idea for a while but couldn't quite figure out how to realize it. 

 Thanks to the "old lady whispering hush" (from Goodnight Moon, as you probably know) this all works out now. I found the perfect library pocket to tuck in all the fussy people and assembled everything on the hardcover of an old children's book. 

"Hush"

Mixed media: storybook clippings, old library pocket, sewing thread, ink, on vintage hardcover, 8.75" x 12"

Playdate

30 Paintings in 30 Days, hosted by fabulous artist Leslie Saeta.

Day Twenty-One:  "Playdate"

 

I'm still one day behind. That's not a terrible thing of course but it bothers me. I have worked on several pieces at different stages today, and got nothing finished besides this little one. 

The title pretty much says it all.

Mixed media: watercolors, storybook clippings, ink, on watercolor paper, 5.5" x 7.5"

Make Peace

30 Paintings in 30 Days, hosted by fabulous artist Leslie Saeta.

Day Twenty:  "Make Peace"

A little piece about peace. 

It looks so easy to come together and talk and listen and understand and love each other. But obviously it's not.

Inspired by the International Day of Peace that we are celebrating today.

Yes, the quote comes from Margaret Wise Brown's classic bedtime story "Goodnight Moon." Our whole family loved reading the book about this peaceful place, and how this little cell connects to the outside world via giant windows and through silent communication. I see the book as an invitation to walk through life with open eyes and with a peaceful mind. To be attentive to see the whole picture of a world that needs to calm down.

"Make Peace"

Mixed media: acrylics, storybook clippings, ink, on canvas panel, 9" x 12"

To Trust

30 Paintings in 30 Days, hosted by fabulous artist Leslie Saeta.

 

Day Nineteen:  "To Trust"

 

I used another Snow White for this piece.  Because this is about trust, and she obviously has trust issues, otherwise she would not have zoned out after the repeated attacks and betrayals by her stepmother (and father, who didn't care to do something about it. It doesn't count, that he didn't know, in my opinion), but would have moved on.

I want for her to be confident and to be able to trust herself and others, despite her traumatic experiences. 

 

I like the idea of spirit animals, especially cats, so I added a few to give her guidance and protection. I replaced the sun/moon by a butterfly to bring in the concept of transformation and to let her know that Spring and renewal are coming.

"To Trust"

Mixed media: acrylics, storybook clippings, ink, on canvas panel, 12" x 16"