- Published on
Pippi's Got A Gun
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Pippi's Got A Gun
oil on canvas
10 x 30 x .75 inches
This item is unframed but ready to hang.
(click on the image to purchase)
Janie's got a gun
Janie's got a gun
Her dog day's just begun
Now everybody is on the run
- AEROSMITH
Pippi Longstocking has become my poster child for dissent.
Something about her straight-shootin' (pun intended) manner, her refusal to be put down by established ways of doing things and her feisty attitude toward rules and bureaucratic nonsense has her firmly in my pocket of protest.
And it is a good time for women to have strong role models. Women who tell it like it is. Women who say NO. Women who give you that look (you know the one) when the bullshit-o-meter has gone up to ten (or eleven, if you're a fan of Spinal Tap).
The appearance of a gun in this piece surprises me, because I am not a fan of guns in general. It gives Pippi power, maybe. The ability to make folks listen. (I've been listening to her in the studio for weeks, and she has quite a lot to say! ) Perhaps the gun symbolizes the power of voice, of action and of intent. A way of communicaing that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH ALREADY.
About the art: For this one, I began with a primed canvas and roughed in the figure and shadows with thinned neutral colored oil paint. Once satisfied with the shapes, I painted the background in thick layers of light neutrals. adding a darker version of the background to the shadows in many thin layers. Then it was all about the figure - many layers with tiny brushes (to get the details right) and resisting RESISTING the urge to perfect. Letting the eyes fill in what isn't specified.
Finally, a layer of varnish over everything once the painting had dried fully. She is powerful company in the studio, let me tell you!
Finally, a layer of varnish over everything once the painting had dried fully. She is powerful company in the studio, let me tell you!
A little more animation fun! This time with music!
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And let me tell you THANK YOU>.
There are SOOOO many STATEMENTS that need STATING.
Pippi, get your
Girl
Unleashed
Now!!!
UNLEASH THE LONGSTOCKING! xoxoxo
I love the idea of Pippi as a champion. She's feisty and unique. She doesn't fit in anyone's box of how you are supposed to behave. She follows the beat of her own drum. Maybe it's time I start surrounding myself not with the terrible discouraging news of the world, but with the stories of people making a difference (either fictional or real)! Maybe that will help me start to feel a bit lighter and stronger. I still need to be aware of the world, but find a way to not dwell, but survive better!
And thank you for seeing the provocative nature of this painting - protest in art! A statement. A "see me...or else moment" as you so beautifully put it.
I admire you a lot.
Carl
A strong statement indeed, but saddened that she has to use a gun. It could accidently go off!
And people may think that is the only way to make a statement!
Just some thoughts.
We all know what gender IS the strongest!
The gun is for sure a controversial addition, but it symbolizes much. What does it take to be heard? What is considered to be "powerful" in the modern world? How does a woman command the room? I am ever more determined to embrace the prococative and the peculiar in art - to cause people to (hopefully) stop and think for a moment. My form of protest, I suppose?
xoxoxoxoxo