July 2006

Women Heart Disease survivors meet in Chicago. My first "heart" painting was unveiled and I met many new and impressive women who daily battle heart disease and are winning. 

It's time to think about another painting to honor these women from all across the USA. I have now met about 200 of the 8 million women living with this disease. 

September 15, 2006

1.  

I began thinking about using 'words' and transparency --even holes in the finished piece in the 'heart area'...One woman? two? many?

My favorite place to begin paintings is at Macaroni Grill. While waiting on our meals I love to draw on the "tablecloths" with their crayons. Many of my paintings have 'started' here. But, I always have to tear up the "tablecloth" and stuff it into my purse. Fortunately, Billy has gotten used to this and doesn't even act embarrassed anymore. 

This is the first sketch for my idea for the new painting. It has been torn from the tablecloth.

2.  September 20, 2006

This is the second sketch and I'm still thinking about some kind of 'words' on the painting...maybe names of women...across the 'heart' area. Unknowingly, in this sketch, I have drawn 8 women... maybe they can represent the 8 million women living in the US with heart disease.

Time out to experiment with making paper transparent... I used EVERYthing: tracing paper, tissue paper, 'plain' paper, Soluvar, Liquin, Damar, other mediums & varnishes-- even tried to find doming resin on the internet. Tried gold for lettering, black ink, paint, Sharpies, etc. My folder of these 'trials' still smells of all these compounds. 

I also found a poem by Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) that I wanted to use some way... It didn't turn out for this painting,  but I may one day use it yet:

"If I can stop one heart from breaking,

I shall not live in vain;

If I can ease one life the aching,

Or cool one pain,

Or help one fainting robin

Unto his nest again, 

I shall not live in vain."

3.  October 10, 2006

I will go ahead with the sketch while continuing to decide about 'words' or maybe just 'names' of women. The following is the initial block-in on the canvas

4. 

5.  November 3, 2006

At this point I had begun to consider lettering the names of women that I know who

have heart disease. HOWEVER....there are TOO many to fit into those few white irregular 

shapes in the heart areas. (Those shapes are irregular because their hearts are definitely 'that'!)

On Friday Nov 3, I emailed Sara Sandel, Program Director for WomenHeart in Washington, D.C. and asked her to forward an email from me to all the women who've graduated from the WomenHeart Mayo Clinic Symposium since 2002. Poor Sara....I forgot to include my own email address in the email to forward. 

Replies started filling up her 'box' ---all giving me permission to use their names on the painting. Many asked if I would consider putting names of their moms or sisters 

who've also fought this battle..and sometimes lost. In all, I received (or rather Sara did) 132 names. But I was able to hear from them all...and their stories are awful and wonderful!

6.  November 4th through 25th-- 2006

My first attempt at transferring all the names involved pouring an acrylic medium onto plastic sheet protectors. After the medium dried I lettered the names with acrylic paint.

7.  

I decided 8.5 x 11 sheet protectors would NEVER get the job done... this would call

for larger measures. I went down to the glass company and went in the back and had them

cut heavy plate glass for me to try. Lifting those sheets of glass was the first of many 'tests' of my physical stamina before this project would be finished. The next step was to pour acrylic medium onto these glass plates.

8. 

The 'trick' (though I didn't know it at the time) was that this medium needed to be smooth and thin BUT NOT TOO THIN!!!

10. 

Bubbles, bubbles everywhere..hundreds of air bubbles....but poking them with a pin got rid of them....ONE AT A TIME! And this was just the first sheet of glass....

9.

Time to position the names, lettered on strips of paper, underneath the glass.

Next I cut around each name and peeled it from the glass.

I ALSO didn't realize that storing the names too close together caused them to stick...that is, BOND TOTALLY!! 

If they even TOUCHED each other I'd sometimes lift one and a whole string of names came up off the table...think Saran wrap here---LOTS of it----mushed together!!!

Remember the problem I didn't know I had?.... Pouring the medium too thinly in areas? The 'names' peel up beautifully if the medium is thick enough. But if it's too thin...?

 Well...then I started digging with any tool in sight....knives, spatulas, palette knives... all to no avail....The only solution was to re-do the whole name.

Now for the second sheet of glass....my back was breaking after the first one. So, how about standing this time? But every few minutes I'd have to shift the whole easel 'up' and this glass is HEAVY!!!! Or else I'd find myself bending knees more and more till I was half sitting on the floor!

15.

Might as well try sitting.... still have to shift easel every two lines of names though.

It  is nearly Thanksgiving and I LOOK like I've been lettering names for weeks!

I'm finally ready to lay the painting down on a table and position the names, using the paper strips I originally printed out.

The week before Thanksgiving and the critical stage is here. I used acrylic gel medium to "glue down" each acrylic lettered name strip. It glues beautifully and immediately BONDS to all the underneath layers of acrylic paint. Due to the nature of the material, (chemically speaking) this means that you essentially have one huge layer of paint; that is, you can't lift off the 'top' part without pulling off the layers all the way down to the bare canvas. (Ask me how I know this.)

BUT..... my edges show around each strip. I knew there would be edges. I tested ahead of time of course and found what I thought looked like a great solution. It did work great---on the test canvas.... BUT that did NOT happen here.

I talked to many people for hours, trying to find a solution.  I tried everything!!!---even some really creative things my daughter Heather suggested. If SHE couldn't solve it, I decided it wasn't going to get 'fixed'!

The canvas now weighs 'umpteen' pounds due to layers and layers of 'things' that I used to try and make the edges 'disappear'.

November 23, 2006 THANKSGIVING DAY

Billy and I celebrated the holiday at the studio.... locked the gate outside and had a tuna sandwich for lunch...and worked. I looked at the clock at 12:15 and sighed....thinking, "everybody in America is sitting down to huge feasts right now with lots of family--- and here we sit---working!"

Billy was trying to get ready for our upcoming art show together..."Art Married to Photography" on Dec 14, 2006 at Jackson Street Gallery in Ridgeland, MS . And I wanted this painting to be ready for that opening. The gallery was letting me combine the show with WomenHeart info--materials, a gallery talk centered on women and heart disease and our new heartscarves project. Even the dress shop next door, Ballins, Ltd., was designing their Christmas window around my "Wear Red..." painting and mannikins in red dresses.

So...whining had to cease. Alas...there was nothing to do but START SLAP OVER!!!!

Double sigh!!!

A blank canvas....AH-GAIN!!!!

Blocked in --again! Original on floor.

Ready to start the RED --again!

21. November 28, 2006

Ready for the names--again!

22. December 1, 2006

Those aren't tears...I'm just cross-eyed. This time I just 'hand lettered' every name directly onto the canvas.

23. DECEMBER 1, 2006

FINALLY THROUGH.....AGAIN!!! Now to finish the other paintings for the show. Two weeks to go!

 And the Mississippi HeartScarves that people have been knitting and have donated for women heart patients.