I have almost finished my fourth oil portrait, and it's of my friend Debbie. I wanted to show how Debbie had been "wounded" by events in her life over the past year. My idea was so have some areas of blood on her shirt which symbolized a wound. I found I was not able to do it however. Maybe it was because I was afraid of her reaction, or maybe because the symbolism was too strong even for me. Instead I used plan B, which was to paint an angel standing on her shoulder, symbolizing the loss she experienced and the fact she is not alone. I think I almost felt that by painting her with blood it could create further trauma. My gut told me not to do it. Sometimes as an artist you have to make decisions, take chances. I'm thinking I didn't take that chance, maybe I just wasnt ready to.
I still have a few more touch ups to do but I need to wait for the paint to dry a bit, which will take a couple of days due to the fact that I used oil. I feel the need to do something else right now, so I may hop in the van and take a half hour trip to Moncton to get another Burda pattern and some fabric. I feel the need to sew again. I really like being creative.
Speaking of fabric, I made my first silk screen the other day. It was a quote from Paradise Lost and a picture of myself with bat wings. It turned out great except on one edge where the dye leaked out a bit and created a line on the fabric. My 6 year old liked it so much that he wanted one. I made a new screen for him with him riding the motorcycle from the movie Ghost Rider.
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