Woman in a Rain Bonnet, acrylic, 14x11
I found a rain bonnet, wore it, and looked in the mirror while completing this painting. My hair now seems to be permanently pleated.
See previous blog entry for background on this painting.
See previous blog entry for background on this painting.
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Honest to god - this is a stunning painting! Something about the composition, the color choices (muted except for the outfit), the simplicity, the gaze, the bonnet. I just love this one, simply love it. You need a new motto - you are a painter.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dan. I haven't heard that expression in a long time. I usually like simple. Your blog about using crayons at the restaurant makes me want to smell those Crayolas.
ReplyDeleteEven though the bonnet covers her gorgeous hair, I'm glad you added it. It finishes the piece perfectly. I'll bet you were gritting your teeth as you started painting on top of where you'd been - but, no guts, no glory. And, this is glorious.
ReplyDelete-Don
Hi Don. I didn't hesitate to add the bonnet because every store clerk remembered her mother or grandmother wearing one and smiled. I did sweat when the bonnet was finished. Her face seemed to disappear--she needed darker eyebrows and upper eyelashes (requiring a tiny brush and a steady hand--no breathing allowed).
ReplyDeleteOh, wow! I love your viewpoint. It's always unexpected and makes me think, think, think. This painting is a metaphor for sooooo many other things and painted so well. Some day, you MUST publish a book of your work. I'd love to own it.
ReplyDeleteKathy, Thanks. Gosh, now my head might no longer fit in the bonnet! I'm wondering about metaphors--bonnet as a shield perhaps.
ReplyDeleteI have a local exhibit set for October. I'm considering setting out a bowl of rain bonnets (if I can find pleated ones)--a bit of performance art. I have a few friends who would don one after some wine.
The bonnet improves it. I have to agree with the others that this is a mesmerising painting. Be thankful to have pleated hair, mine has depleted!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mark. Depleted hair by age 25 is a characteristic of all male members of my family. If a male with hair shows up at a reunion, he is subjected to a "toupee check."
ReplyDeleteBrains are more important.
I love the addition of the rain bonnet. It definitely works. My grandmother used to wear something like that.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Raena. Rain bonnets do remind us of mothers and grandmothers and their weekly visits to beauty shops.
ReplyDeletethe uncompromising gaze is somehow heightened with the addition of the rain-hat. I am glad I got to see the version without the hat and the final piece---it proves how the artist's vision was spot-on....the rain bonnet totally transforms the portrait and makes it more meaningful on all fronts. It is not just that many of us remember those hats...it is (for this viewer) a deeper statement about all manner of things like protection, hope, womanhood and "inclimate"-emotions. It is a five out of five star painting.
ReplyDeleteCeleste, thank you so much. Your words match what I felt. The bonnet totally changed the painting but I could never have explained how or why. You have great insight.
ReplyDeleteThe bonnet changes the painting; adds dimension. All Celeste said~ditto. Having her in the bonnet draws attention to her eyes, the expression. A certain depth is there, she's looking out at us-- is it sadness, melancholy, a sort of weariness?
ReplyDeleteIndigomar, Hi. Like everyone else, I know all those feelings--or is it resignation? The answer might rest with the viewer.
ReplyDeleteI just felt that I somehow caught the look that was needed and stopped before it was lost. Thanks for the comment.
Hallie, you had me chuckling all through your previous blog. We are from the same era, and in my late teens and early twenties, I always had one of those silly rain bonnets in my purse. Living in New England, I got to have pleated hair often. I was also fascinated with your quest for the appropriate porch ornamentation. You are truly an artist seeking just the perfect expression of your mental image. Like Kathy said -- write the book~
ReplyDeleteI want to add one more comment. There is an Old Masters feel to this painting and I can't put my finger on what makes it that way. I keep picturing this piece hung with period pieces.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mary. While I was looking at porch cornices around town, you probably set up five art shows, attended six workshops, and went on a long bike ride. Your recent work demonstrates the value of workshops.
ReplyDeleteAbout your second comment: I was flipping through some art books this morning--there are many paintings of women wearing head coverings. If the rain bonnet were lace, she could be from a different century.
Hi Hallie,
ReplyDeleteWow! I like the power of this one and the rain bonnet only adds to the mystery; cool!
Hi Peggy. I never thought of mystery; now I'm thinking of Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca. Wasn't she standing out in the rain?
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