- Published on
"Uninvited" - oil on Yupo, 19 x 20. Available here and at Artfinder.
“It wasn’t very civil of you to sit down without being invited,” - March Hare, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
The rabbit hole is deep and twisting...and sometimes leads to oddities.
Alice has taken us somewhere curious this week. She has claimed her place in this alien landscape, where she may or may nor feel at home, and may or may not rule over insectoid creatures. Her "face" is unreadable, but her body language is pretty clear - "I belong here", says she. I wouldn't dare argue with her.
Alice has taken us somewhere curious this week. She has claimed her place in this alien landscape, where she may or may nor feel at home, and may or may not rule over insectoid creatures. Her "face" is unreadable, but her body language is pretty clear - "I belong here", says she. I wouldn't dare argue with her.
Uninvited
Alice herself is an oddity in Wonderland - an oddity among a curious community of weirdos. In trying to make sense of the nonsensical, her frustration mounts. Maybe we are all trying to make sense of the nonsensical in these odd times? But maybe the lesson here is just to embrace our own whimsical weirdness.
When I personally let my own peculiarities and oddities fly their flags, I feel much more content, less stressed and more self-accepting. It sets the inner critic back on her heels (as you might imagine) and then...THEN is when the real creativity begins.
When I personally let my own peculiarities and oddities fly their flags, I feel much more content, less stressed and more self-accepting. It sets the inner critic back on her heels (as you might imagine) and then...THEN is when the real creativity begins.
About the art: using a prompt which included "insectoid Alice in Wonderland" and some references to artists both fantasy sci-fi and classical, the AI bot spewed forth a veritable smorgasbord of ideas.
In this one, using thinned oil paint to begin a muted background and then drawing in the sketch on top, I embraced the idea of Alice sitting on a chair which was, itself, insectoid. Allowing the darks to come forward makes a lovely bit of drama. With the Yupo, the paint can be moved, removed, scratched through, layered translucently or thickly. And there is a bit of all of that in here.
In this one, using thinned oil paint to begin a muted background and then drawing in the sketch on top, I embraced the idea of Alice sitting on a chair which was, itself, insectoid. Allowing the darks to come forward makes a lovely bit of drama. With the Yupo, the paint can be moved, removed, scratched through, layered translucently or thickly. And there is a bit of all of that in here.
The Liddel family, whose girls inspired the names for Alice and her sisters in Alice in Wonderland. (Photo: NATIONAL MEDIA MUSEUM/ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY/SSPL/GETTY IMAGES)
- Published on
"Le Petit Chaperon Rouge" - oil on yupo, 23 x 20. Available here and at Artfinder.
"[singing] Do not put your faith in a cape and a hood, they will not protect you the way that they should. And take extra care with strangers, even flowers have their dangers, and though scary is exciting, nice is different than good.” - Mother, 'Into the woods' (2014).
The tumult of characters in the studio demanding attention continues.
Little Red Riding Hood has been here before....she has many forms, many faces, many meanings. And the AI bot loves her madly.
"[singing] Do not put your faith in a cape and a hood, they will not protect you the way that they should. And take extra care with strangers, even flowers have their dangers, and though scary is exciting, nice is different than good.” - Mother, 'Into the woods' (2014).
The tumult of characters in the studio demanding attention continues.
Little Red Riding Hood has been here before....she has many forms, many faces, many meanings. And the AI bot loves her madly.
Le Petit Chaperon Rouge
What is it, exactly, about a cape and a hood that settles over the wearer like a sort of protective shield? How does a cloak become enchanted while worn? And what is it about wearing a red cloak that says we can walk through the forest unharmed?
In the clip (left), Red ultimately gives her cape away to the Baker, hoping her grandmother will make her a new one out of the skin of the big bad wolf. That gesture gets me right there, as she freely lets go of her naïveté and embraces the lesson and her own power.
In the clip (left), Red ultimately gives her cape away to the Baker, hoping her grandmother will make her a new one out of the skin of the big bad wolf. That gesture gets me right there, as she freely lets go of her naïveté and embraces the lesson and her own power.
About the art: the AI bot has given me a stack of Little Reds to play with. Something about this fairytale resonates with the bot, while others do not. In this version, she's calm and pensive, eyes closed, flanked by protective beasts. A little older, a little wiser, perhaps.
Beginning with a piece of yupo toned with oil paint and Liquin, then lightly sketching the shapes with a colored pencil. Slowly adding thinned paint layers, and then carving back through the wet paint with a chopstick (the yupo is amazing for this - exposing the paper down to the white. Yum). Adding successive washes of darks and lights to create value. Using paint diluted with Gamsol to allow the edge of her dress to run and drip down the paper. As a final step, carving back through the paint with a palette knife to expose the highlights on her hood. Lots of drying time with the yupo, but it is totally worth the wait.
Beginning with a piece of yupo toned with oil paint and Liquin, then lightly sketching the shapes with a colored pencil. Slowly adding thinned paint layers, and then carving back through the wet paint with a chopstick (the yupo is amazing for this - exposing the paper down to the white. Yum). Adding successive washes of darks and lights to create value. Using paint diluted with Gamsol to allow the edge of her dress to run and drip down the paper. As a final step, carving back through the paint with a palette knife to expose the highlights on her hood. Lots of drying time with the yupo, but it is totally worth the wait.
- Published on
"Rapunzel" - oil on canvas, 15 x 20 x 1. Ready to hang. Available here and at Artfinder.
"I reread Rapunzel the other day after many years and wondered why I ever liked this fairy-tale. I found myself screaming at the pages: “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, cut off your hair! Use it as a rope and escape from there!” - Leah M. Mariani
"I reread Rapunzel the other day after many years and wondered why I ever liked this fairy-tale. I found myself screaming at the pages: “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, cut off your hair! Use it as a rope and escape from there!” - Leah M. Mariani
The wild god is a-pushin' and a-nudgin' into the realm of fairytales. There is a hoard of Alices, Little Reds, an Evil Queen and a few wanna-be fairytale characters parading on the studio wall. Each one is demanding a deeper look into their story - or for a story to be created around them. (They are a LOUD bunch, btw. Anyone who thinks these characters are mild-mannered and well behaved is kidding themselves)
Mariani got me with the quote - Rapunzel had the means of escape all along. So why didn't she?
Mariani got me with the quote - Rapunzel had the means of escape all along. So why didn't she?
Rapunzel
Which got me to thinking, when in my own life (creatively, professionally, personally) have I remained trapped in a metaphorical tower while the path to freedom was right within my grasp? And oh, dear reader, there are many times. The "towers" that trap us might be in the guise of security, predictability, fear of (insert any word you'd like here), or the things we've been told (and come to believe) about our own strength, talent, tenacity and creativity. I think I build my own towers, mostly. Fortunately, there have been people along the way who have opened my eyes to the ladders hanging from the windows. And now and again, I've cut off all my hair.
About the art: the AI bot and I had a grand time coming up with the inspiration image for this one. There were very few wonky interpretations - a pretty straightforward creative collaboration (unlike most of the others, which have been quite meandering).
Beginning with a canvas lightly toned with oil paint and Liquin, adding a colored pencil sketch and thin layers of paint. Keeping the color palette pretty narrow and focusing on value. Using thin washes to create shadows in the fabric and in the window frame. Using a narrow, round brush heavily saturated with paint and paint thinner to drag individual ropes of hair across the canvas. Whispering to Rapunzel to climb out the darn window already.
Beginning with a canvas lightly toned with oil paint and Liquin, adding a colored pencil sketch and thin layers of paint. Keeping the color palette pretty narrow and focusing on value. Using thin washes to create shadows in the fabric and in the window frame. Using a narrow, round brush heavily saturated with paint and paint thinner to drag individual ropes of hair across the canvas. Whispering to Rapunzel to climb out the darn window already.
