The Modern Muse Erato. I imagine her as source of life, not a sex worker. If her job is repurposed, her materials are also. From the Waynesville Habitat Restore, copper pipe legs, brass lamp fittings, a lovely dress from a dryer hose, her face on a round of clear plywood, and her music stand skeleton. Is this art, or just big girl dolls? This is a work in progress, so don’t be too hard on either one of us. If we can’t laugh, then we should quit.
Humor
Many of my paintings are about women and their predicaments. I try to infuse some humor into them. When stuff blindsides you, do you wake up feeling like this woman?
Old women
Women used to be important to culture, important and powerful. Muses, Fates, Furies, Goddesses. Now m
ost are hustling for low paying jobs in the modern age. That is my scenario. This is the Muse Erato, with energy coming from the sun, not sex. I’ve been collecting parts and pieces of her for months. This is a first glance. Many of the elements are from Habitat Restores. The round plywood that makes her face comes from a local speaker maker. The brass spacers and Mardi Gras beads come from the Waynesville Restore. The music stand that is her skeleton came from a trip to the Restore in Statesville. The tubes come from Gregg’s work, and some of the paint is from Animal Hosp. of Waynesville. When you’ve gone from a Muse, to working for .77 on the dollar, you have to be thrifty.
The Bay Lights.
Thanks to WordPress for beginning the funding for the Bay Lights. Public art makes people aware of what might be.
More ladies.
Are they stressed, or just working hard?
Stressed people
These start as drawings, using drips of enamel. I have added detail, so you might see a person. These are an interesting combination of drawing with not much control, and then carefully highlighting. Most are women, but it’s probably hard to tell. Stress affects everyone.
Congrats to HCC Arts Building
I’ts snowing, so I didn’t make it to the dedication of the new arts building. It is LEEDs certified, the highest level of green building technology. Cori Saraceni is part of the opening show, and I missed her too. I’ve been working on a series of enamel drip drawings of females with glasses. Can’t really call them self portraits. Here are a couple. I think they are interesting.
Another version of cerius
This is smaller and a close up of the same flower in yesterday’s post. It is underpainted with a circular grid. 
Thanks Nick
I went to the opening of Nick DePaolo’s one man show at Gallery 86 in Waynesville, NC on Fri. We both are learning to paint more in acrylics. Long discussion on how to get the paint to run. I experimented today. Too much medium, I think. It’s sooo easy with oils, but my propane heater makes oils a no no, til summer. The flower is a serius, a bold bloom about 8″ across.
Artist messes with nature
I may question the reason or right to copyright a genetically modified organism (GMO). There is a case before the Supreme Court right now. I’m messing with a painting of a bloom from a tulip poplar. Same or different?