What's happening in this painting? What should be added? (Hint: on the left is a mirror, not a window. Actually a window seen in a mirror. Outside the window are several neon lights. In the final version, the various neon colors will dance across the wall, blue, red, and resulting purple. This version is the monochrome under-painting.)
Here are some things to add, not listed in order of merit. What would you add? ? ?
* A vase of wilted flowers, petals on the floor.
* A scattering of origami creatures.
* Cut out, wadded newspaper on the floor; on the table a page with cutout words from the newspaper taped into crude lines; a pair of scissors; a scotch tape dispenser.
* A bathrobe, white terry, dragged across the floor to the open door ajar, or dropped in a heap in front of the door ajar.
* An old bakelite phone, off hook.
P * L * E * A * S * E send me your ideas.
Bob - You happen to catch me at home! I like the almost surrealism of this painting. What I see is a small, swirling flock of white birds - kind of like your origami idea - but really small birds - coming out of the black slit in the doorway, towards the viewer. If you have been to Seatac airport lobby - like the hanging sculpture of mostly whales and other objects, floating in space but you feel you are under water. This is what I see. Jennifer
ReplyDeleteThe birds. That could definitely happen. What a great idea. They could have little blurred shadows on the wall to make it a little extra surreal.
DeleteThe picture needs something that connects the bottom up into the lighter part, something to cross the shadow. I suppose the birds could be adapted to that too.
Love the dancing neon lights! Stripes are great. I rather like the simplicity as it is. Wilted flowers and bathrobe seem a bit sad to me. Origami critters are whimsical. Cutout words come straight from a mystery novel. The origami seems a bit more original. The angles of the bed in the mirror seem a bit odd but then I find I don't have a mirror in my house that can reflect those same angles and my body gets in the way. What are the reflections on the top?? I guess less is more for me. The room is a bolt hole for a really tired mother whose husband is watching the kids for a night so she can take the bus to a strange town where no one knows her. She doesn't need to talk to anyone, do anything except watch the colored lights on the wall. She just stepped out for a minute to get some fruit at the corner store and walk the street for a minute, imaging herself to be someone totally different than who she really is when at home. Alone, she makes jokes in her head and then laughs out loud at them. She doesn't miss her kids or her husband. She is looking forward to returning to the quiet of the room and sucking on her pear as she watches the lights.
ReplyDeleteAside: I've spent the last two hours laughing with my sister, Molly, who called from Ohio. Earlier today my brother, Jimmy, was flown by medical helicopter from our home town to a hospital in Toledo about 1 1/2 hours by car. Molly knew Jim was going to be okay when, as they loaded him into the helicopter, he started joshing with the medics in German. The medics looked really concerned until Molly told them he was pulling their leg. Our family has a history of making jokes at really inappropriate times. Later that day seven friends drove to Toledo to talk to the doctors about Jimmy. Referring to their search for a stroke, the neurologist said, "We did a brain scan and there's nothing there." Molly and Jim immediately started guffawing and cracking up but the others were way too serious, didn't think it was funny. Molly was making jokes when she was having a heart attack. Oh, the dangers of being Irish! Molly and Jim work together at the same hospital. Molly is a nurse and Jimmy is a pediatric cardiologist. He told her he was going to to work tomorrow so she had better show up, too. I'm so glad he's going to be fine. He's my favorite brother, even if he has the very worst puns. I only miss Ohio when something like this happens in the family.
The story of the fleeing mother, that's good. (Harry Truman used to do something like that, when he was in state politics.) Perhaps a partially eaten hamburger, wrapped in paper, on the table; some other fast food detritus scattered on the floor going through the cracked door. It's nice to think she eats healthy food, but is this about escape?
DeleteI like the oragami idea, too. It's a beautiful painting.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of origami is pleasing, but there would need to be a lot of them to build a visual bridge between the bottom of the painting and the door. Need something to break up that shadow at the bottom. Maybe multiple colored origami sheets?
DeleteDisclaimer: I am not an artist. I would put a small trash can/bin between the table and the door.
ReplyDelete