I woke up this morning with the itching feeling of wanting to make some lino-cuts- I knew exactly what I wanted to do- I wanted to cut face and body shapes but I wanted the faces to have Giotto eyes. I purchased a two volume little book on Giotto published in 1963 called "All the Paintings of Giotto" by Roberto Salvinie and published by Hawthorn Books, Inc. when I was in Braidwood.The image of Mary Magdalene is from the book. Most of the images are in black and white and I am fascinated by how stylised his eyes of people were regardless of whether they were male or female. However I spent most of the day searching for my lino-cutting tools- i my shed-supposed to be studio btu which isn't, in my work room, all the shelves in the dining area- not a single lino-cutting tool to be found ( and I have about 6 sets). Eventually I found them late this afternoon and cut this little lino cut which i printed into my journal and then onto some fabric to make more dolls- I had in mind little Giotto like dolls. I was intrigued by the fact that the paper print did indeed look feminine but the fabric print didn't- the lines from the cutting away of th elino looking sort of like a beard. Anyway this one is a little experiment- I want to cut another.
I have been reading some of the essays in "When Books Die" edited by Finaly LLoyd. I particularly enjoyed the essay by Meredith Mckinney entitled "Reading in Tongues" on p39 .As a child she filled books with scribbles and writing which were of her own making ( my youngest daughter did the same- books and books she filled) and how these lines resonated:
"When I look at those passionate scribbles and flourishes now, I wish with all my heart that I could read the story I was telling myself as I made them.They contain in inaccessible code the deepest origins of my imaginative world" and a little further..." When I work best,I work as that child once worked,bending intently over the unfolding marks on the page,tasting and testing the words on my tongue, deep in the world they embody." It describes a lot of how I work- I am often surprised at how coherences and coincidences and meaning emerge as I work- they seem to come out of some subconscious area and yet come out of my finger tips to create work.
4 comments:
"I am often surprised at how coherences and coincidences and meaning emerge as I work- they seem to come out of some subconscious area and yet come out of my finger tips to create work."
Ooh, yes! And it's too easy to dismiss it as "the muse" speaking. It is really us, our deepest, most authentic selves, parts of us that surprise us and sometimes scare us.
It really is an eye opener to stumble across something one made as a child. I remember thinking I was great at drawing, yet when I started working with comtemporary quilts mid-life, I'd convinced myself I had no talent in the drawing area. And then, of course, there are those things I thought were so wonderful as a child, the non-sensical scribbles, and laugh. Yes, we must get back to working like that child!
I have a close friend whose severely disabled non-verbal daughter does the same thing that you mentiones. Hours are spent intently "writing" in her journal. How we wish that we could interpret what she is trying so hard to tell us.
I think this work is so beautiful, with or without beard! Maybe stretching and pinning out the fabric prior to printing would stop it going into the depressions of the lino cut? Or putting the lino onto a rigid block backing? But very interesting, where your work is taking you. Thanks for sharing and perhaps inspiring...
Happy creating!
Beautiful work on this doll. I love how you've translated the x's from recent quilts to the doll body.
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