This painting is titled "Pockets of Silence Beyond The Fracture". Those 'pockets' are moments when a certain stillness, a certain 'all is well, all will be well' feeling is present. A moment when everything feels connected, inside and out. The most recent visitation of this feeling came when I decided to follow my desire to paint portraits. Then followed the discovery of Chris Fittock's work and Alice Neel, both of whom I had never heard of before.
Today I watched a film of Alice Neel's life by her grandson. An intimate telling, by archive film and interviews with her two sons. I was moved to tears by their deep love and abiding respect for a Mum who wasnt able to wholly nurture and protect her babies because of her complusion to paint. Their wounds not hidden or even overcome and yet their hearts honest and true.
I think this is something that the majority of female artists wrestle with. Im personally struggling to find a 'working practice' that can honour both the needs of the people I love and the needs of me, the artist. Both need a lot of time and energy and there arent enough hours in the day. I remember the first time I heard Joni Mitchell's lyrics - "I bore her, but I could not raise her"....I was blown away by her honesty. Alice Neel says near the end of the film that "...all artists are searching for freedom, they never find it, because it doesnt exist, but they still search....in fact art could be called The Search." I will continue my search............... x
Today I watched a film of Alice Neel's life by her grandson. An intimate telling, by archive film and interviews with her two sons. I was moved to tears by their deep love and abiding respect for a Mum who wasnt able to wholly nurture and protect her babies because of her complusion to paint. Their wounds not hidden or even overcome and yet their hearts honest and true.
I think this is something that the majority of female artists wrestle with. Im personally struggling to find a 'working practice' that can honour both the needs of the people I love and the needs of me, the artist. Both need a lot of time and energy and there arent enough hours in the day. I remember the first time I heard Joni Mitchell's lyrics - "I bore her, but I could not raise her"....I was blown away by her honesty. Alice Neel says near the end of the film that "...all artists are searching for freedom, they never find it, because it doesnt exist, but they still search....in fact art could be called The Search." I will continue my search............... x
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