L. O. V. E.
2020-09-12
This week I began a painting to incorporate a pendant I had for my daughter. The short story was that I used to keep it on my desk and she would come up and want me to hold her and put it on her forehead (which has to do with the origin story that I will share later).
Well on Labor Day Weekend she dropped it on the tile and it shattered. She threw herself on the ground and cried, and I told her that it's just a thing. It's not important, but how she feels is important. Then I had the idea to recreate our moments in a painting. So we staged a photo and I began the process of replicating it in acrylics on canvas. I actually started the work with her, asking what colors she wanted to make her hair, the background, my dress, her dress. She enjoyed painting with me as I taught her about form and brush strokes.
Then later, surrounded my the materials (which are usually packed away in my cabinets), she felt comfortable carving out her own spot to create a drawing for our friend. I think this speaks to the proliferative/iterative nature of the artmaking process.
I took several videos of the painting process thus far, as well as a video of me explaining the backstory, which I plan to incorporate into a final video showing the entire painting and thought process.
This week, I look forward to painting more and thinking about how this piece embodies my interest in ABR or how it might serve in a body of work examining the topic. Perhaps it's just research-based art, and that's okay with me too. I look forward to thinking about how the materials, shapes, and concept all question and work within (or outside of) the theoretical paradigms I'm learning about in class as a starting point as I work.