Stop, Look and Think #14
Dear Reader,
This is the fourteenth blog in a series written to offer another
way to experience art. One of my paintings is below, followed
by a set of instructions.
STOP, LOOK AND THINK before you scroll down to read
each section.
1. Here are a few facts: Title:
“A Walk Around the Block,” size: 12” by 18,”
medium: mixed media (art tissue, acrylic, pencil), created
in January. This information may or may not verify or affect
your first response. Did you notice more after learning my
title? Is there anything about the painting and title that
clicks with your perceptions or emotions? Now that you have
some details, compare your thoughts and feelings to your first
response (image only).
2. Here’s the story: This
is another piece from the continuing experiment of layering
art tissue over older paintings. As I worked on the 2003 painting,
tearing away sections of wet black tissue, parts of the older
piece peeked through. Stars and shadows appeared and car wheels
rotated. Seeing the house darkened my mood, and its title, “To
Neighborhoods,” triggered childhood memories. One house
we lived in had train tracks in the back yard. Good memory:
the rhythmic clacking of the 9:15 freight train lulling me to
sleep. Not-so-good memory: at the end of the street, a left
turn took me to school or my friends, but I was forced to walk
under a viaduct. It was dark, ugly and scary, especially in
winter, so I borrowed a paring knife from the kitchen. I walked
faster into that left turn and kept my hand in my pocket, clutching
the handle.
3. No, I never had to use the knife and shudder
to think how that might have turned out if I did.
4. After finishing “A Walk Around the Block,” I snapped
its picture to use on my desktop. A few days later, I realized
that it made me sad, so I made another choice.
5. What did you feel when you first saw
this artwork? Did your initial impressions of “A Walk Around
the Block” connect with its origin story?
