SEPTEMBER 2005

"ZEBRAS"

Working title-or rather the way I refer to the ptg (until it gets finished and 'officially' titled.) 

This usually occurs in the context of "Billy, would you mind moving 'Zebras' for me so I can  work on something else !" or "come look at 'zebras' this morning..what do you think?"

The last paintings I have done have gotten progressively larger and larger. The last one (Diptych-Gen 1) was 60 x 40 and nearly gave me tendonitis. "Zebras" is 60 x 48. I would use a ladder this time except the '60' is sideways....maybe I need to lie on my side and work on it! If I paint any larger I'm going to have to invest in  larger easel or put a nail on the wall. (Billy has already given me one-half of his lab for my painting...I don't dare mention that I need more room!!)

1. 

A faint line drawing on canvas. I used the 'grid' method from a small sketch.

2. 

Blocking in the eyes and noses for composition purposes. I want to create an 'eye path' that will take the viewer thru the painting.

3. 

Starting to block in the stripes...still working on composition.

4. 

Finished with intial lay-in of stripes. I'm satisfied with the pattern created by the stripes at this point.

Still not totally sure about 'colors'. I don't want "just" a black and white painting but how do you improve on this beautiful animal. God's b/w design is perfect already.

But painting is NOT just 'copying' ---our cameras do that quite well!

5. 

An "aha" moment (at least temporarily!) I walked away from the ptg to do something else. Suddenly I wondered what it would have been like IF zebras had originally been designed in color but all the colors were purposely "undone". I could 'see' colors leaking away and leaving the Black and White stripes behind.

6. 

What colors, though? I first attempted a color 'spectrum' with the lightest (yellows) at the tips of the heads--the nose end. Then reds farther up the head and neck, followed by violets and finally out to just black and white at the outer edges of the canvas/animals. After trying that on one animal, it seemed too 'distracting'....the wonderful pattern of black/white stripes got 'lost'. So.... I am currently painting the colored stripes back to white and will begin 'again'.

7. 

Friday Sept 30....Yesterday I worked getting all the stripes back to "black and white" without actually BEING 'black and white'...again, photography would do all that...I love COLOR (and almost screaming color these days!! ) so I have to work to get in color & still give this the 'appearance' of being a b/w striped animal.  

I'm also trying something Heather suggested which is to let the 'pool' of water they are drinking from be a 'pool of color'. Their drinking would be 'causing' the color to just begin seeping-oozing-climbing up their heads....

PROGRESS IS SLOOOOOW: It's so big it's taking tons of paint and tons of energy.....EVEN climbing up on a ladder doesn't give much shoulder relief....but it is toooooooooooooo much fun to complain....

8. 

January 2006

Finally finished....titled "How The Zebra Lost His Colors" 

When our children were small my hubby (as his mother had done) would tell them Uncle Remus stories such as "How Brer Rabbit lost his tail". I told him the ptg was "about" zebras who once were full of color and drinking from this 'magic' pool made all their color drain away. (Heather's idea) He immediately made up another "Brer Rabbit" story--"Brer Zebra" that is! This one will have to be for the grandchildren! 

(I reversed Heather's idea of color climbing "up" the animal-to draining away from them---since zebras currently have only b/w) But just think, WHAT a striking animal God created without using other colors!!)

March 2006

The new gallery "Jackson Street Gallery" in Ridgeland, MS had its opening reception Thurs Mar 23, 2006. 'Zebras' sold from here the week before the opening. I'm thinking of doing more 'zebras' since there's hardly a more beautiful or striking animal on the planet and it was also sooooo much fun! AND that is what it's all about!!!