3rd Session Rachel

2nd Session on Rachel

THIS is freedom!

Coming along nicely! 

Latest Collaborative Work

Check it out!

http://seashellfox.blogspot.com

Territory Influences

My landlord refused my offer to insulate the attic.  He said "it needs to breathe up there"....right......I've been forced to take some drastic measures and will be building a solar powered heater for the window.  My studio is starting to look more and more like the Territory.  Dreams of Paris and Hillary Clinton's pores muddle my thoughts.

Somerville 2011

Paris 2008

Rachel (3rd model in series)

It was a new experience painting Rachel.  There was a completely different vibe with her.  When I painted Ashley and Mickey I was making ridiculous faces, grunting and gasping with ecstasy, aggressively trying to penetrate the canvas with my brush, etc.  This is sort of my usual way of painting unless I am working on a slower, layered mixed media piece.  Rachel gave me a gentle, quiet feeling of peace and I painted her flesh softly.  I don't know what it is about the meditation aspect and allowing the models to speak for themselves but this series is becoming more and more interesting! 

December 13th

12.13.11

I see a boy on the train

From my childhood.

The commute becomes

Ghostly.

He’s too far to reach

But I wouldn’t anyway.

Though I’ve spoke his name

Countless times

I don’t know him.

Today is that date

Long thought about

And planned

Now emptied and plain.

No anxious scurry to the airport

No kisses goodbye.

Just an appointment

A computer

A commitment made

Countless times.

What if I reached out?

Could I utter the essence

Of lazy days in trees?

How could I express

That Christmas party

Where I chased him

And grabbing

His father scolded me?

Such shame I possess.

And imagine what he keeps...

The shy, quiet boy around the bend

With his interrogative mother

And cat-eyed sister

A mere dark, softened shadow

Of his father.

A deep well of grief

Lies behind his shiny, black pupils

Concealed by his cold, obedient

Statue of a face. 

Fearful of masks

A boy

Who now ought to be

A man

Trades one mould for the next

And in rapidly re-disguising

Acts as though

He is alive.

Speeding the shedding of skins

So he never once knows them

Nor does he know his loved ones

Nor do they know him.

A fierce man

Determined

Full of absolutes

Awaits his love with certainty.

But only at the final moment

Does he lift his head

Erect

Distracted and weighted

Bedridden

Doubting his regiments

Still too narrow to split

Then “pop” goes his hip.

Every injury is fleeting

If you will it to be. 

But it’s easy to stay a coward.

It’s natural

To preserve

What you think you need.

So, go. 

No one knows you. 

2nd Painting Finished

Although I prefer this blog to be largely visual, I'd just like to point out something important about my artistic process for those of you who might be interested.  

The Walden Pond sketches and photos that are a few posts back weren't so great.  However, the process of going there, meditating, observing, and creating was necessary to inspire many of the branches/forest in this painting.  If you have a good eye you will even be able to see something very specific that I stole from Walden as well as just the general impression of those woods (color, shape, mood, atmosphere, etc).  I did not go back and look at the sketches or photos to help me with this painting. The visions of my most recent experience at Walden simply made their way into this painting via my memory, some conscious and others not.  

Additionally,  I know all of the models from this series.  I have relationships with them outside of the art studio.  Some of them I know very, very well, some I have deep spiritual connections with and others more complex relationships with.  The fact that I have these varied relationships with the models has a profound affect on how they are expressed in the paintings.  

Each model is also lead through a guided meditation on their sacred space in Nature.  They choose their own pose through this guidance and without further suggestion from me.  

Rachel is next on Saturday.  So far all yogi(ni)s.  Stay tuned and check out the photos from the final painting I have done of Mickey.  

I think this is done....

Although I'm not too big on symbolism....I know that the model identifies his spirit animal to be the wolf...couldn't help myself

Better...

Second in Figure/Nature Series

Detail of the face

 mmmmmmmm love this stuff

Well, there are some nipple issues but so far so good!

It's Happening

The beginning of my new series....SO EXCITED.  Let's see how humans and nature reconcile with each other.

Finished Forest Narrative

This tells the story of my love life.  There is the right guy for me just on the other side of a tree. But I don't even see him...I am reaching for a little cat.  My blank expression is a mask.  

Walden Thanksgiving

Made my quarterly pilgrimage to Walden.  Paintings and Photos below:

Exhibits!

I have not been blogging!  :/

Me being a nerd at the BCEC opening

but look! I am showing at the BCEC and also at Thos. Moser for the Holiday show.

Check it out: http://katiebrockway.com/#2290547/News