This was not intended to be "pretty art." During my thought process, this painting was supposed to be "ugly." I tried really hard to create something using Surrealistic characteristics. At this time, I just can't seem to wrap my brain around it. It was taking a lot of brain power. I decided to explore a bit of Dadaism. In my research, I discovered that Dada was kind of a "Anti-everything" movement...perhaps even "anti-art"?
My dad is dying of lung cancer and last night, I realized, I may never talk with my dad again. My day was filled with tears and sadness. All I could think of was, "Cancer? HOW DARE YOU!?"
This piece started of with a child-like mixed media composition. The sky was painted red because red is the color of love. I love my dad. Red is also a color for grabbing attention. I painted the sun and hills in typically symbolic colors. I used a magic marker to draw in stick figures. One larger was to be the daddy and the smaller figure a girl child. The figures were flying a kite. This was a memory I recalled while working on this piece. When I had that picture the way I wanted it, I ruined it by slopping black randomly over the picture. Black represents cancer. I had to use a hair dryer for this piece. The paint was thick. When it was as dry as I could get it without spending the entire day drying the painting, I painted the words. The mis-spelling of the word cancer serves a dual purpose: One purpose is this entire painting was to have a child's perspective as I feel quite small, helpless and powerless (like a child) today. A small child might spell this word phonetically. The second purpose is I want to insult cancer with this art.I know that when my daughter finds her name spelled incorrectly, she is insulted.
I see this mixed media art as a bit of a cross of Dadaism with the offensive language and Expressionism with the intense emotional messages both verbal and non-verbal.
My dad is dying of lung cancer and last night, I realized, I may never talk with my dad again. My day was filled with tears and sadness. All I could think of was, "Cancer? HOW DARE YOU!?"
This piece started of with a child-like mixed media composition. The sky was painted red because red is the color of love. I love my dad. Red is also a color for grabbing attention. I painted the sun and hills in typically symbolic colors. I used a magic marker to draw in stick figures. One larger was to be the daddy and the smaller figure a girl child. The figures were flying a kite. This was a memory I recalled while working on this piece. When I had that picture the way I wanted it, I ruined it by slopping black randomly over the picture. Black represents cancer. I had to use a hair dryer for this piece. The paint was thick. When it was as dry as I could get it without spending the entire day drying the painting, I painted the words. The mis-spelling of the word cancer serves a dual purpose: One purpose is this entire painting was to have a child's perspective as I feel quite small, helpless and powerless (like a child) today. A small child might spell this word phonetically. The second purpose is I want to insult cancer with this art.I know that when my daughter finds her name spelled incorrectly, she is insulted.
I see this mixed media art as a bit of a cross of Dadaism with the offensive language and Expressionism with the intense emotional messages both verbal and non-verbal.
**When I first created this blog, I wanted it to only be for happy and positive things. Well, it just so happens that I am a divine being having a human experience. Humans were graced with a full range of emotions. I happen to be the lucky owner of just such a set. This process of my dad's cancer diagnosis and losing my dad has shed a very different light on so many aspects in my life. I think differently about so much. I like this new light. I just wish it hadn't come with such a hefty price tag.
