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| Dingo Dog 16" H x 20" W - African Totem |
I began experimenting with acrylic paints over a decade ago
because I was looking for ways to create texture. One of my experiments was
squirting acrylic paint onto a surface, covering the paint with a piece of
plastic, using a brayer to roll over the plastic and create interesting shapes
and textures. Then I would pull off the plastic which retained lots of the
paint, place it somewhere else on the surface, roll the brayer over it and get
another very textural shape.
Since there would still be paint on the plastic, I would
then move to a sheet of printmaking paper, lay down the plastic and roll the
brayer over it until all of the acrylic paint was removed from the plastic.
These final prints were the most textural and I would layer several on top of
each other, getting very interesting textures and color combinations.
I wrote an article about this experimental process for the
November 2004 issue of American Artist magazine.
Over time I acquired quite a lot of these sheets of “trash
prints”. I tore the sheets up and put the pieces in my collage pile. I used
some of them when I did my Stone Age series, but most remained unutilized until
recently, when another moment of experimentation and exploration arrived.
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| Sea Urchin 11" H x 14" W - Water Baby Totem |
Torn Paper Totems
In cleaning and clearing my studio, I found the stack of
“trash prints” and thought it would be fun to do something with them. This
coincided with trying to move several unfinished paintings either to the trash
or to give them life in some new form. In placing pieces from my trash prints
onto an old painting surface, I allow the configuration to suggest a “totem”
figure to me.
A person’s totem is generally revealed in the vision quest
portion of a rite of passage. The totem is an animal or plant ancestor chosen
as guardian and guide. There is a close relation or even identification between
person and totem. A person’s totem is in no sense hereditary or genealogical,
nor has it anything to do with social organization or religious affiliation.
The word “totem” may have come to us from the Algonquin
tradition referring to the personal guardian or tutelary that belongs to an
individual person and often represented by picture or emblem in the person’s
medicine parcel or painted upon clothing or accouterments.
After doing a couple of test pieces, I began to see the
potential for a series of “torn paper totems”. I have made three totems so far and have three
more ready for exploration. If you would like to suggest a totem figure,
perhaps there is something in my “trash prints” that could bring it to life.
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| Sunshine and Shadow 11" H x 14" W - Sun Lover Totem |
News
After traveling exhibitions throughout Oregon, California and Idaho, the original Pilgrimage paintings will be shown for the first time in Eugene, Oregon. If you've had in mind purchasing one of these artworks based on villages around the world in which I have worked, now is the time to contact me.
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| Pilgrimage Show at Eugene's Cafe Soriah in May and June. |
Recently I updated some sections of my website. Please take a look at Recent Work, Upcoming Events, and the Eve’s Imprint section of my Art Gallery. I am open to suggestions. For example, has it become too unwieldy? Do you think it would be helpful to create a separate website for the art forms and writings on Eve’s Imprint?
