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| Oil on Panel, 10"x10" |
Returning to the paintbrush as a prop, I wanted a very black bird on this ground. I had a photograph of this Red-Winged sitting on the bird feeder pole which the brush replaced. He was singing which usually causes them to ruffle feathers and spread the tail. But once the brush was in, I thought it looked as if he was riding a rocket. So.....
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| Oil on Panel, 10"x10" |
the next day, I changed both the angle and the colors of the brush. I received the most beautiful critique from my friend Carolyn regarding all the paintings with the brush. She said,
"I like these paintings of the birds on the paintbrush, Christy. I see deep respect for the Old Masters, but also a kind of postmodern nod, an acknowledgement to all who wonder about the function of painting now (that would be a whole lot of us). That paintbrush, loaded as it is, is still a potent tool, you seem to say. Look at the beauty of this bird, which can still be observed even as the earth warms and the species dwindle. That in the latest one, the paintbrush seems to be a rocket or even a missile, touches off associations that are almost painful, and the blackbird seems to be trying to communicate with us. That you are doing these in the age of global warming, diminishing species and coronavirus 19 is no coincidence, although there is nothing about it that feels contrived. :
