When the Wild God Arrives at the Door

"When the Wild God Arrives at the Door" - oil on paper, 14 x 11.  Available here and at Artfinder.


​Sometimes a wild god comes to the table.
He is awkward and does not know the ways
Of porcelain, of fork and mustard and silver.
His voice makes vinegar from wine.
​
When the wild god arrives at the door,
You will probably fear him.
He reminds you of something dark
That you might have dreamt,
Or the secret you do not wish to be shared.

from Sometimes a Wild God by Tom Hirons

When the Wild God Arrives at the Door

A new month and a new direction to explore in the studio - some strong emotion, some tenderness, some deep vulnerability.  Inspired by Sometimes a Wild God by Tom Hirons and allowing the muse to tug at my heart and hands.  This month we'll explore the poem side-by-side with the art and see what awaits us.

I don't know about you, dear reader - wild creative being that you are - but sometimes a wild god appears at the studio door.  He grabs me by the shoulders and demands things: heart-cracking, wound examining, stirring the pot and letting its aroma saturate the room.   And so the art those days in uncensored, unfiltered and without apology or explanation.  The inside of me reaching out to the inside of you, because a wild god insisted.

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About the art: beginning with an old painting covered in gesso and carving into the gesso with a chopstick while it is wet, creating deep texture in the underpainting.  A quick sketch in colored pencil and then diving in with thin layers of oil paint.  Keeping the face soft and gentle but allowing the remainder of the painting to become rough and guttural in its emotion as thicker layers of paint are added..  Carving back through the wet paint with rubber wedge, chopsticks and brush ends to expose colors underneath and create even more texture.  The "dress" is made with quickly sketched flowers, saturated with paint thinner to allow the blurs and drips.  When I stepped back from this one, she grabbed my heart.  Oh.