Love Bomb chosen for group show in Mallorca

The experimental mirror piece I created this past year was recently selected as a finalist in a renowned competition at the Galería Can Gelabert here in Binissalem Mallorca. I am pleased to have been included among a group of diverse local artists.
The exhibit remains open through 16th October 2016, click here for details.

 

Wrecking Ball (near miss)

The Wrecking Ball (near miss)   2016
Ink, pencil, rice paper and gesso on wood panel (45x80cm)

 

New Drawing: Trophy

New Drawing: Trophy

 

Pencil, gesso, red pen and glitter on found paper. 2016

Dissonance Collages

Dissonance Collages

These figure studies are for a lamp shade prototype.

Leap Frog

Leap Frog
2016
pencil, ink and gesso on a bentonite clay-treated wood.

Mirror work in progress: Love Bomb

Love Bomb is almost complete!
I was very excited back in autumn when I found this unique frame at a second hand market.














 
After much trial and error I removed the backing paint and some of the reflective surface from behind; then added my own finish, as you can see here...










Then I etched the rain of women across the front, using various masking layers.

 



The final stage is to decide if the original baubles will be added and to hang it. 

This step is crucial as the lighting and the viewer's orientation to the piece changes the effect dramatically.

I've gilded the original tassel trim that came wrapped around the mirror.

Here is a preliminary sketch for the rain of women.

'Love bombing' often takes place at the outset of  whirlwind romances and is usually directed by sociopaths or narcissists.

 Targets are idealized and literally bombarded non-stop with attention that seems like love and can cause high levels of infatuation. The target is 'swept off their feet' and is unaware that it actually is a manipulative means to gain attention.
(source)

Bodies of work

Following on the déjà vu mentioned in the Paper Dolls post,  I came across a dream journal entry from January 2005 which was used in my Immersion painting series.


Here are a few of the little paintings made to illustrate the dream. 
 






















 ...and an excerpt from the entry:


 'In my dream last night I spontaneously jumped into the deep water, the sun was out and I felt excited. Suddenly, the sky darkened with clouds and I was quickly consumed by roaring waves.  I was lost at sea. I screamed for him to help me, but my voice was only a whisper amidst the roar of the sky and waves.  I feel helpless and need salvation…'

 '...What’s so romantic about loneliness and melancholy? Slip Sliding Away plays in the background as my baby cries in her crib. I haven’t left the house since Thursday. 
The isolation is taking over, surrounding me like the Mediterranean. Not the turquoise one in postcards, but the deep, swallowing one of my dream.' 

 

While sorting through my files, I also stumbled upon these two packets of bodies:

 
















On the left is a pile of doll limbs I painstakingly created but never made use of in 1994.

On the right is a stack of yoga postures created for the work I was making around 2000.

Old dog, new tricks. Back to the drawing board...