Furious and Magnificent

Furious and Magnificent

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Furious and Magnificent
pen and ink on wood panel
16 x 20x .25  inches
This item is unframed
​(click on the image to purchase)

blessed be
she
who is
both
furious
and 
magnificent
TAYLOR RHODES
​

I've been contemplating superheroes.

The ones on the outside, and those who live on the inside.

Because we all have them.  (We do, we do!)  And the words we feed them can give them powers we might not have believed possible.

Imagine if this painting were not titled "Furious and Magnificent", but instead "Just Your Average Wallflower."  It changes the perception of the piece, just slightly.  And that's what we do with our inner heroes when we call them names like average, inept, untalented, old, frail, boring, idiot or whatever else is on your inner critic's defamatory words list.

A brilliant friend and fabulous creator (hello, Thea and thank you for being SUPER!) suggested I keep the lovely words people write or say about me and/or my art on the wall in my studio.  Reminders of who and what others think I am - words my inner critic might not choose to describe me.  And those words uplift, encourage, inspire and EMPOWER me to tackle things I fear, to use bold brushstrokes, to show paintings I might hide, and to clomp around in tall, clunky and punky boots in the middle of August, just because they make me feel like a badass.

YOU, dear reader, are a super hero.  And I want to know - what's your untapped superpower?

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About the art:  beginning with an unprimed wood panel, I brushed on a thick layer of sealer and let it dry.  While waiting for it to cure, I created both a mask and a stencil of the intended design.  Using the mask first to protect the design areas, I added black gesso to ground the figure into the painting, expanding some of it into her perch.  Once dry, I used the stencil and white gesso to create a brilliant contrast for the figure.  Once that was also dry, a few days of meditative pen and ink to create tree branches, stones and a woman of wonder.  Finally, a coat of spray sealant to keep everything in place and add a tiny bit of shine to the piece.  Voila!

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The August Reader Giveaway continues!  Leave a comment on any blog post during this month to be automatically entered to win one of two pieces of original art - FREE!  Thanks to everyone who reads, comments and shares this blog.  You make this space magic-filled! XO