Monday, September 19, 2016

RED and Babel

Dr. Colin Bethel MD
     How to post in September when extending the relaxing mode of summer? "I have no ideas?" It is in the doing (painting, writing, movie making) that ideas appear! I made a movie for granddaughter and was shocked how many ideas occurred in the making.That is my lesson this month. Paula Pitman Brown said it, and I found it true! She also said, "Red is your color." (Van Gogh had his sunflower.  :*)) Click on to enlarge photos.

     Back in November 2005 I entered the Cambridge Art Association RED show an encaustic painting with copper leaf, Dr. Colin Bethel MD. At the same time I encouraged Cindy Ryan to enter her huge cups painting which won the prize! RED is a biennial show. This year I found lots of reds in my stash: Misappropriation, The Breakfast Club and Erika Zen-ing Out to enter.


Misappropriation
Erika Zen-ing
      The political painting Pen and the Dragon which is up now in Harvard Square's University Place gallery will be coming down from the Fall Salon. This reminds me of my Vanity in Aspic, my redo of Breugel's Tower of Babel,  the babble of the political season...the vanity and breaking of hubris.

The Breakfast Club
Pen and the Dragon

Vanity in Aspic
   
Pen and the Cashdragon:
The contest of good and evil, saint and demon, hero and villain, liberator and tyrant has long been a favorite of artists and writers. Here Raphael's St. George and the Dragon meets the cyberpen vs. wealthocracy. In the saddle of the white horse, wielding the pen and paintbrush, sits Arianna Huffington, icon of cyberjournalism. In the supporting wing stands Anita Hill, as the Statue of Liberty. The dragon emerges from the cave of the forces of pharmaceutical, petroleum and financial industries. The Supreme Court can be seen far in the background as the ultimate referee.

Vanity in Aspic:
The painting starts with the Flemish painter, Pieter Breugel's Tower of Babel, showing the foolishness of men's social pretensions as they strive to build a tower to God. As I was painting it, the men started to look like ants, and tower to look like aspic which melts or dissolves. The artist falls off the top.

16 comments:

  1. You get a prize from me ❣️ Wendy

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow! So painterly. Great. Hope you get a prize. Kathy B-B

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you , Linda! I like it! Your blog is very informative on your thinking and I love seeing all the visuals on it! Great to read the description on "St. George and the Dragon." Paula

    ReplyDelete
  4. So glad that your post about this came up on Facebook as I was checking both Facebook messages and my emails. I do like you painting of Colin. Now I know his last name and what he looks like. It's fairly hot although it's overcast, and I spent the day with our granddaughter at her parents' house. We watched "The Huntsman's Winter War" and, while it was well-done with gifted actors, I found it spooky as heck. We now run our errands, I fed the birds, swept up the leaves and watered the plants in our patio. Now we're off to a casual dinner in the outside dining area at a local hotel for all of the City Council members, City Commissioners who head their committees, and invited guests.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've been moving toward RED lately--this is great. Colin Bethel is classic--what a portrait! Makes me want to meet the man. And I'll look at Erika Zenning and the Breakfast Club (are those roadrunners?) again and again! Welcome Autumn this Thursday! morning--and keep posting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think hungry sparrows...but what do I know...I want to be a birder...must get smarter...better late than never.

      Delete
  6. May I join the Breakfast Club? TP

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love the misappropriation painting! And I don't think I had seen the final Erika painting. Which is also beautiful. Jim

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looking at it now. LOVE misappropriation. Where is that painting? Never seen before. CB

    ReplyDelete
  9. I goofed the first time, so will try again. I, too, don't recall ever having seen Misappropriation, so it was great to see it as well as others, which I have seen, some in person! The way your works reflect your intelligence, your creativity, and your expertise is inspirational. Clicking to enlarge really helped to see all the details in the one I hadn't yet seen!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I especially liked the Breakfast Club (and, yes, the red) for its meditative feel and Vanity in Aspic for its variety and detail.
    NM

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lanelle Taylor This makes my morning so bright! PawPaw

    ReplyDelete
  12. I like the red and like that you brought several genres together in this blog. Your mind gets started and keeps going😊🎈

    ReplyDelete
  13. You are talented in so many directions! I really like the Breakfast Club and Erika Zen-ing.

    ReplyDelete