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| May, 1997: oil on canvas; 24" x 30" |
In the light of the full moon, folded paper seeds emerge from the ground.Ê In think, precise jerks, they unfold and refold into paper cranes that fly away toward the distant, volcanic peak.Ê Why are they doing this?Ê What does it all mean? Ê I really wish I knew.
Although this painting was done in 1997, the original fever dream was in 1990, and I attempted it more than once before I reached this point.Ê The technical problem was painting a dark scene without making the shadows look like mud.Ê The approach was to do the painting first in thin, dark, neutralized color.Ê After that was done, I built up the lighter areas in opaque, more saturated color.Ê That was my introduction to chiaroscuro.Ê I made the cranes reddish, partly to contrast with the blue, and partly because they were reddish in my dream.Ê It helps to have artsy dreams; you don't have to alter everything to make the painting work.
Last updated on Friday, December 21, 2001