Unwelcome Guest

Purple Tulips

day 1

unfinished

30 x40

acrylic on canvas

This morning a timid sun arrived holding hands with a stranger named blue sky.

I greeted them and took them in. I didn't have to try.

Like memory in an aging mind

our visit was too brief.

For a crowd of clouds came pushing through carrying heavy bags of grief.

In my house there's little room for what these guests do bring.

I look at them and close my eyes while longing for the Spring.

Witte Tulpen

Witte Tulpen
30 x 40
acrylic on canvas

Rene Magritte's House

The photo on the left was taken in the front room of Rene Magritte's house in Brussels. Visiting the house where the Belgian Surrealist worked and lived for 24 years was the highlight of our trip.

The painting on the right shows how he used objects from his home in his compositions. You can see how he transformed the fireplace heater into a locomotive train. That is the same mirror above the fireplace only larger and without John's reflection. That in itself was a happy accident. Rather surreal, don't you think?

To the right of the fireplace hangs a portrait of his wife, Georgette. He was inspired to paint this from Manet's Olympia http://locus.cwrl.utexas.edu/jbrown/files/Olympia.jpg . Originally he had painted a frog resting on her stomach, evidently she was not pleased. This may explain the reason why we now see a conch shell in its place.

Magritte was an interesting character and loved the idea of shocking his viewers. He stated that the images in his paintings concealed nothing. He was more concerned with achieving a sense of mystery. You really experience a sense of other worldliness when you look at his work.

I love the fact that he lived so modestly in such a small house; there were only three rooms. He produced over 600 paintings from his tiny kitchen. I wonder if he ever thought that someday people would tour his home. But like most of his imagery, I will have to keep wondering.

Seeing the environment of a famous artist always adds to that ineffable mystery. His paintings become even more mysterious knowing that he said that mystery meant nothing because it was unknowable.

Tulips day 2

White Tulips

day 2

(unfinished)

30 x40

acrylic on canvas

I have been in a strange place all day. Last night I had that recurring dream. The one where I am running on all fours . This time I was being hunted by a primitive man. His ivory spear grazed my neck and I quickly became woozy from the poison. Too tired to run anymore, he caught up to me. I remember looking into his grimy cave man eyes. At that time, I woke in a pool of sweat. I haven't been the same since.

These primitive dreams are so visceral. I can truly feel each stick and stone digging through my palms as I propel my body through the woods.

I would like to think that these dreams are highly symbolic. I just have not been able to interpret them. The time will come, I believe.

On the other hand, they probably don't mean a thing.

Any thoughts?

A Long Weekend in Belgium

We had such a nice weekend in Belgium. Enjoy the slide show of some of my favorite photos.

Filling In The Blanks

White Tulips
Day 1
unfinished
30x40
acrylic on canvas

The other day a good friend shared a journal entry with me. From the corner of her eye she saw a beautiful heron fluttering in a tree by the lake.
With wide eyes she found it was only a plastic bag. This experience left her questioning how she would chose to remember this. Would she remember the beauty or the trash?
Studies show that when the background surrounding the subject is vague, the mind tends to fill in the blanks. That is why we often imagine seeing things in the dark.
From the corner of her eye there was a beautiful bird.
I believe she is lucky for what she believed she saw. Let's hope she chooses to remember it that way.
Maybe it is the other way around and believing is seeing.
In this day and age it's probably better.
We are leaving to Belgium tomorrow for a long weekend.
I will catch you up Tuesday with pics and possibly a finished painting.
Tschüs

From The Past

From The Past

16x20

collage on paper

I have had 2 long lost friends contact me in the past week through my blog. I am ever so greatful to have the chance to reconnect. I have wanted to paint a red fox for some time now and found the words," from the Past". The red fox is a creature of the between times; the times between dawn and dusk. I haven't spoken to either friend in over 10 years.That is quite an amount of between time.

I have a new card store located in the upper right hand corner. There will be new ones added in the next couple of days, so you might want to wait so you can make that big purchase.