Mistaking Whispers For Earthquakes

Mistaking Whispers For Earthquakes

​Mistaking Whispers For Earthquakes
oil on gallery wrapped canvas
24 x 48 x 1.75 inches
This item is unframed but ready to hang
(click on the image to purchase)


Chasing the blood on the back seat
The in-crowds have taken you far
Making your eyes to the windshield
You play the lover and I′ll play the liar

Waiting for someone to hold you
Or handle your heart in the rain
Mistaking these whispers for earthquakes
You play the martyr and I'll play your game
- from NIGHT BELL - ARIZONA by KERALA DUST

I have an uncanny history with hotels.

It wasn't until very recently that I could recongnize the origin of this history in my simmering anxiety near hotels that looked a certain way. The mind and its defenses are wondrous (and, well, mysterious)

And so. 

Knowing the only way to the other side of this strange phenomenon is straight through the middle, I am taking back hotels. To reclaim them as a source of travel adventure, "good" mystery and evidence of a full life, I painted a CROWTEL (crow hotel) with all of its inherent wonkiness. 

And why, you ask, does this matter in the world of art? We have a job, you and I, fellow creatives. To bring to light the things that need examining; to help others access the challenging, difficult, tumultuous and the fear-inducing events of today.  Write it, paint it, pull it from the shadows.

If we cannot do it, how can others hope to?  Off you go, courageous human. You have art to make. xo

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A note about the quoted lyrics: Kerala Dust has some surreal lines in their songs, which get stuck in my head and loop in fantastical ways. Mistaking whispers for earthquakes is a perfect analogy for panic attacks (the amaygdala making mountains out of molehills), and thus became attached to the art. Another of the lyrics, the wind is a thistle, frolics in my thoughts. I wonder where it will go?

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About the art: Are you wondering? You are correct! Another reinvention of a murdered painting.  The underpainting was acrylic for this piece, so a nice coat of gesso over the top obliterated the original.  A fresh white canvas, with a little added texture thanks to the original piece. Beginning with the background color in a thin wash, then "drawing" the design into wet paint with a rubber wedge. A long, LONG drying time.  Working outside-in and inside-out to refine the drawing, straying from expected architecture into a bit of the wonky/unexpected/whimsy by allowing lines to become askew and the building to make little sense at all. What freedom! The focus for this piece was deepening darks, building shadows and reflections, creating texture in the sructure and the background. The final touches were the signage and the crows, followed by a thick layer of varnish. Plenty of room at the crow hotel! "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave"  (The Eagles)

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Blog and blogger are heading out for a wintery vacation, so I'll see you back here in two weeks.
Thanks for reading!

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