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This is an ongoing discussion w/ Gregg.  He’s a cinematographer so depth of field is one of his most important tools.  I seem to be flat as a flitter.  Reading about Romare Bearden helped.  He said African and some ancient art was not even interested in perspective.  The quilts of Gee’s Bend are flat, and incredible!

I’ve been thinking of an image to paint on the back of “A Good Marriage”.  This was an idea.  I like this painting, but it’s tooooo green for the screen.  I am thinking about cutting it down the middle line( when it dries) and mat it as tow paintings.  I used a little Galkyd medium.  I’ll do more experimenting, because I use a pallette knife, a lot, and I haven’t quite figured out how to use them together.

We are tweaking our rain barrels.  We need a float and an overflow.  Luckily we are getting rain, so we have something to work with!

We picked up Bobbi’s calendar yesterday, and I borrowed from it for the calendar in Chemo Today.  I also made a collage from some of the info distributed by hospitals.  Then I started adding in the hats, belts, and  scarves.  I’m getting close.   However, since the emphasis is NOT on mastectomy, will people think I missed the point? Have I?  I think the point is a specific effort to deal with one day of chemo.

I normally have at least two paintings in progress at the same time.  My work on Chemo Today kind of disrupted that process, but not completely.  So as I am wrapping up Chemo, I started a new image.  I’ve been thinking about painting the reverse of A Good Marriage, to make it a screen that could stand in an open space, not just in a corner.  The dogwoods are in bloom above the cabin.  I moved the stone wall to give a break to a huge green expanse.  I have drawn a line down the middle to give me an aspect of the screen.

I’ve changed the doorway on the left of BofA, for the third time.  Sometimes a work can be in progress for a long time.  I’m glad I have the time to let them percolate, though I still rush.

Also cherry blossoms.  Kira, look what you started!

I’ve got to sell something soon, or say I’m an amateur!

We have been working on the website and brochure.  I realized I hadn’t mentioned hair loss in the bro, and it’s a major element.  We are going to have the boys proof the website before we upload it.  This photo has almost none of the hats and scarves that will be there at the finish.  We think we have a way to attach the painting to the closet that is removable.  We shall see.  Gregg starts back to work tomorrow, so that may slow me down.    He’s incredible when I ask him to help.  AND he built me two rain barrels from unused garbage cans.  We should know by tomorrow how well they work.  I expect they will be marvelous!

I am generating the documentation to send to the RAPG,  a requirement for the grant money.  It has been an interesting instruction.  I’m trying to explain my process and decisions, and I see that I skip a lot, assuming that you know what I’m thinking.  I’m having several people help proof read, so hopefully it will make some sense.

I have the broad strokes done on “Chemo Today”.  So many ideas, and deciding how to represent them.  The words on the “altar of the triptych” have been wrenching, the medical words in red, and the personal ones in gray.   The prayer boxes as a symbol have to be explained, whereas I hope the references to time are obvious.  Claiming this piece to be a triptych may seem a stretch, but the front doors shelter the altar, until you open it.

Lights, Please.  If you see this installation, please pull the chain for the light.  I even added a little sign.  I want people to move the scarves aside to discover details.  Any ideas on how I can INVITE people to touch the art?

An element that I have used in my paintings are small boxes floating about.  I think of them as prayers.  Since Chemo Today is 3D, I have made boxes and am hanging them from the ceiling.  First I used recycled cardboard, old cracker and kleenex cartons.  There is sooo much color going on in this closet, I changed to plain white.  Now I’ve thrown in a few pastels.  I’m also considering putting words on the boxes that would refer to the prayer.  Gregg says the boxes are empty, as soon as we offer them they reach their source.  Not destination, I really do mean source.  Faster than a T-1 line!

I touched up the back of this screen today.  It had a few boo-boos from moving it around.  I hope to show it (and sell it!) at Art on Depot.

There are two layers of words on the back of the closet.  The big scary red letters are all of the medical jargon.  The smaller gray type are the words that express the humanity of our woman.

I have painted a portrait of the woman looking in the mirror, with the shattered shards of the mirror exploding from it.

I’m glad to get over the words.  They were a very hard part of this project.