Author: babylonbaroque

I am a painter and printmaker working towards creating a body of work that reflects my own developing aesthetic. New work ,first link. The second link is an on-line portfolio.

Making a Marionette is Tricky Business

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That said, as the sun begins to set, I’ve finished my Hero Twins marionette.

Aesthetically I’m pleased but the puppet is far from limber,  the poor fellows move about in the most wonky way imaginable. I need to figure out how best to string the Twins, plus I made some decisions that might have been less than ideal. The figure is perhaps OVER articulated , I need small metal rings to piece each limb together, hopefully it will move about  more smoothly.

I also need to learn how to use a marionette, again, tricky business.

In the meantime, the Hero Twins.

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Hero Twin marionette

2014

Sculpey molding medium,steel wool, aluminum foil, wire, acrylic paint

20 inches tall

I’m pleased, they are in keeping with the spirit of my original inspiration, this detail from one of my watercolors. Plus I’m happy I used steel wool for the beards, with a bit of paint , it has an appealing texture. 

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I did manage to string the marionette up but now I need to improve upon the mechanics of it all. So much of this project is just basic experimentation.

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I need lessons from this  incredible woman! Until that time, will fumble along.

Be well,

Lg

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Of Body Parts and Chinoiserie

My studio looks a bit like  a set from Sweeney Todd, little marionette limbs fresh from the oven. Sculpey has an unpleasant odor when baking and an even more unpleasant “flesh” tone…it isn’t pretty. I’m eager to put paint to mannequin.

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In addition to marionettes I have an actual (gasp)paying job, a series of four  decorative panels to be reconfigured into  custom wall coverings. The designs are dense to allow the designer enough material to “cut and paste” to suit the space. I am working with  a chinois/japonoise theme, proposal renderings follow:

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Well that’s it so far, awaiting designer ( and client) feedback but for now back to puppetry.

Namaste

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Meeting the Puppet Challenge…at long last

It seems like ages ago when Clive Hicks-Jenkins sent out a puppet challenge (HERE)to the folks who follow him. My natural inclination to jump right in has been thwarted by my keen phobia of the third dimension. I am a painter and I have had very little luck with fashioning objects in the round. I allowed myself some slack in that puppets can be crude and terribly effective, but still…

I had been ruminating about how I wanted the figures to present themselves, oil sketches, watercolor drawings, on and on, just not putting idea to armature. I ended that this week and the following is the unfinished results. Once again I am working with archetypes from the  Popol Vuh, the Hero Twins,  their slain father,the Maize God and the Axis Mundi (the World Tree)plays a supporting role.

starting off with an idea for the Hero Twins (detail from one of my watercolor paintings),

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a quick sketch to figure out logistics

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the armature-I love this image

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working out the figures in ever reliable Sculpey

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thus far, I ran out of aforementioned Sculpey, off to supply shop…

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I used fine steel wool , applied to uncured medium, it bake right in perfectly.

Before the heroic fellows there was fittingly the World Tree. I had dreamt of this Axis Mundi , putting dreamscape to panel.

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it was just a matter of applying wire and tin foil to an old can ; kindergarten craft class at its most lively.

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I enjoyed playing with a form, gnarly trees with anthropomorphic features that I frequently employ in other disciplines; all with the aid of  ubiquitous Sculpey.

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IMG_4868primed and ready…

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now, off to supply store, yoga and then puppetry.

Be well,Lg

Update:

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Of Greenmen and Goodbyes

Chapters close.

For close to twenty-five years I was a decorative painter; now I spend my time happily and productively in the studio. In my career as a decorative painter very few memories are fond, but the work with my friend Eleanor was a great romp.  For a quick peak at that period of my life, visit my former site , Here.

 Today, chapters are closing and new ones opening for Eleanor : the house I helped decorate is being emptied and her new , even more delightful home awaits her .

There is melancholy in knowing all of the work we lavished so much attention upon is in the hands of strangers, who knows what will happen to it.

But time moves on, enclosed are  just a few snapshots of the Greenmen we decorated the entry hall with; Greenmen being a shared passion. 

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Wishing Eleanor all the best on her new adventure, so much new, in so many ways, awaits .

xoLg

 

Sophia, the Apotheosis of…

I have been reading several books concerning gnosticism, schisms and the early church fathers. Most are academic but piece of fiction has been a great pleasure,Flaubert’s monumental The Temptation of St. Anthony. The edition I have has a very handy glossary which has made this mad jumble of opinion/characters/branches somewhat manageable.

That said I do not suggest that I understand fully all the various manifestation of gnosis. But one manifestation of the Supreme One, the aeon Sophia (wisdom) is of particular interest. My understanding is that she is the mother of Zoe (life) who brought light to Adam who apparently lacked a spiritual spark. I’ve attempted to depict that seminal moment in my painting Gnosis…and the Old Gods Were Pleased.  Link to that painting: HERE

This painting is an icon of the blessed Sophia, mother of wisdom and truth.

I like the idea of focusing upon being an icon painter to the Old Gods.

IMG_4854Sophia, the Apotheosis of…

2014

oil on panel

18 by 24 inches

My interest in gnosticism was sparked by a BBC-In Our Time podcast; I had skimmed over some Elaine Pagels books off and on, but this short podcast brought clarity to a perplexing and fascinating subject. I’m addicted to the In Our Time series,  it has become a constant studio companion. If interested you should listen to the following link HERE.

A bit of good news fell in my direction this week, on my way to yoga I popped into a gallery with some wonderful paintings, work that I really related to on a visceral level. Chatting with the proprietor of the gallery was very pleasant and informative, I exchanged cards which I feared presumptuous. But happily he emailed me the next day to schedule a studio visit. That was quite exhilarating and the wonderful news is that  he would like to include me in some upcoming shows he has planned.

The Old Gods must be pleased with my icons to bestow such good tidings.

Namaste,

Lg

eye in hand

 

 

Nincompoopery

I’ve just finished a silly little painting and from the looks of it I have been listening to Kurt Weill to often.

I started this painting several years ago, then I  moved, it was stashed  away unfinished only to be rediscovered a few weeks ago. I decided to give it a second chance. Initially I was inspired to dash off a quick painting to depict the frank annoyance I had felt at an opening I had attended. If there  ever  was an Emperor-hasn’t- any-clothes moment , that opening was it. Sycophants galore gushing over ridiculousness- a  filthy mattress suspended from the ceiling strewn with red lights. Subtle as a train wreck but not as engaging. This painting was my response to such nincompoopery and as nincompoopery is alive and well still fun to paint .

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Nincompoopery

2014

oil on canvas board 20 by 24 inches

Namaste

 

Life, Death and if not Resurrection, Redemption.

In my work I turn repeatedly to issues of mortality, sacrifice, redemption and self knowledge (gnosis). 

It probably isn’t much of a surprise that Good Friday is my favorite day of the Church calendar ; I have strayed (or She has) from the traditions of my youth, but the Passion reading never fails to  move me deeply. My belief in a god, or not, is wavering but the narrative of this day, of this man during his final hours has influenced my work profoundly. Whether he was divine or not, an issue that caused great discord between the Church Fathers and the “heretical ” gnostics is of little concern to me. In fact, appealing to my humanist inclinations, it is the mortal man, willingly offering up such a terrible gift that astounds me. I have countless images of the Ecce Homo, the Crucifixion, the Deposition,  religious postcards, 19th c. chromolithographs, icons, statuary, every museum visit I head straight to the medieval wing, I never tire of the depictions of this suffering wretch. My heart bleeds for him each time ,the pathos so intense. His mother, she too breaks my heart, to have such a selfless ally is incomprehensible . These archetypes will continue to fuel my work, as they are now befriended by their “pagan” siblings, the Maize God most notably.

The following is just a sampling of my online “scrapbook” devoted to Christ and the BVM.

botticelli:cristo risorto:1480:detroit copy

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black christ:met cath:mc

the Black Christ above is from our trip to Mexico City @ the Cathedral

master of flemalle:crucified thief:1410:frankfurt

cristo alla colonna:1680:filippo parodi

sodoma

hot pieta

Apparently I am not the only on to see the eroticism in the crucifixion; sadly I do not know whose work this is. I stumbled upon it unidentified-any info very welcome.

mary crying6 copy

mary crying8 copy

mary with veil

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masaccio

Every day is Good Friday in my studio, aside from the numerous depictions mentioned above, my studio is dominated by a large oil on tin painting depicting Christ accepting the Cross (one of the stations,  I cannot remember which one). I purchased this back east, in snooty and very protestant Bucks County. When I spotted it in a dusty barn owned by a particularly arrogant designer/antiques peddler I asked after it. He laughed in my face, such an absurd request , who would want such a monstrosity. With withering condescension  he offered it to me  for five bucks. My heart was racing with joy-to hell with his arrogance, this was a treasure!

 It has been with me for over 25 years , I love it more every day. I rely upon it for facial expressions, painting technique, coloring, companionship during adversity, it has in so many ways  been a mentor. 

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A Day’s Work

Nicolas Poussin once said, when comparing himself  unfavorably to the hyper  manic Carravagio, that he felt his day had been productive if he painted one face. I often feel  that way as well. If today’s accomplishment is any indication, I emulate my beloved Poussin.

Below is a detail of an oil painting I am now working on. 

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unfinished detail of a larger composition

As I paint, the pugs rest, Viola standing guard atop a UPS delivery. If being a painter is tough, being a painter’s dog is tougher.

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Getting ready for date night with the spouse, Thai  for dinner then “Noah” which releases today.

Have a great weekend, be well,

Lg

Postscript: for my friend Richard, an update on “Noah”. Well worth seeing, big mythic spectacle. We saw it at the Sunset Blvd. Arclight where they often have actual costumes, sets, props etc. on display in the lobby. The following is the costume of Noah’s nemesis Tubal-Cain. Thought you mike like the jewelry designs. 

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and Noah’s costume

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