Bear Dances & Bird Songs

Gustave Flaubert said that despite our best attempts to express ourselves artistically, human effort is all too often "like a cracked kettle on which we can tap crude rhythms for bears to dance to, while we long to make music that will melt the stars." Picasso once addressed the comment that his work was difficult to understand with this reply: "Why does art need to be understood to be enjoyed? When you hear a bird sing, do you need to know the words in order to appreciate the music?"

Thursday, April 05, 2007

On the Farm

On the Farm, right side (4' x10', acrylic, 2006)

On the Farm, left side (4' x 10', acrylic, 2006)

One reason I haven't posted in so long is, I took on my first mural project last fall. While scrambling to complete it on time (first weekend in December), I got so far behind in everything else that blogging was the last thing on the list (and my mind). Anyway, this was the BIGGEST project so far: each is 4' x 10'. I painted them on muslin in my studio and now they're on the wall of the Cabarrus Health Alliance Dental Clinic in Concord, NC. The subject is a true 180 from my usual stuff; I got my idea from 15 years worth of textile design, with a lot of embellishment! From what I've heard, the kid patients at the clinic are really enjoying my depiction of farm fun! I had a blast painting it.

Detail: boy with sheep