The Oddity of Octavia

The Oddity of Octavia

“The Oddity of Octavia” - oil on paper, 22 x 17 inches.  SOLD

Octavia caused quite the controversy when she first moved to town.

No one really knew what to make of her - was she an octopus? A monster?  A lady who needed some good dental care?  A sea witch?  She practically floated down the sidewalk on her way to the market, all those tentacles moving in a fluid dance that left one wondering if she ever touched the ground.  Though the townsfolk gave her a wide berth, she was never really alone.  Oddities and peculiarities accompanied her.  Their adoration and passion for her was well beyond the average public display of affection.  Ahem.  Look the other way, if you can.

Um, so here's the thing about living in a two-artist household: we cannot help but influence (challenge, critique) each other.  Malcolm encourages me to push boundaries; to move waaaaaay outside the box.  

And he's not the only one.  

Once upon a time, more than a handful of years ago in a stellar on-going art class in south Florida, the instructor told me to "embrace the peculiar" - she saw that direction in my art way back then, and she gave me the courage to keep going when the inner censor/critic said "whoa, Nellie!"

And then there are those of you, dear readers, who are also drawn to the peculiar side of things and grab these pieces for your own.  Thank you - you make me feel downright brazen.

What are your thoughts about boxes and boundaries in art?  What is the role of the artist in redrawing those lines?  How do you push outside of your "normal" and into the more unexpected?  I'd love to hear!

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About the art:  I have a digital folder of inspiration ideas and images for days when I feel confident, adventurous and mischievous.  This piece was inspired by one of a dozen or so concepts the AI bot and I worked on for several days.  The AI bot loves (LOVES) tentacles and octopods.  And female faces.  Beginning with gesso'd oil painting paper, I drew a rough sketch with a wet brush and blocked in the darks.  Oil painting paper wants many layers of glazing to get the color to pop, which works well with a rough sketch, as there are a lot of refining moves required to get the angles and proportions just right.   The requisite 80 million layers of paint followed.  Funny enough, the hardest thing to resist was the urge to whiten/brighten all the teeth, which are meant to be a bit yellowed and dingy to add a bit of the horrific.  I settled for something in the middle.  It makes me rub my hands together and say "muhwahahahahah".

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