So, feeling stiff, sore, and exhausted all week, I delved into one of the large digital prints I made during a course a couple summers ago. Listened to a fabulous audiobook by Miles Unger called Picasso and the Painting That Shocked the World. Not only did it profile a young Picasso's life, it dismantled one of the most confusing paintings in art history to a point where I feel that I truly understand it, and Cubism, much better than before. Brilliant writing. I hope to find a paper copy of the book at some point to mark up. Lots of quotes that bring such clarity to a confusing, layered subject.
The piece I am working on is very challenging to bead and embellish. The layers are irregular and semi-transparent. When beads are added, they become distinct and more physical. Adding embellishment effects the layers and permanency of the objects in the piece, and a certain amount of ambiguity is lost. I like the print by itself and am being surprised by the way it is changing with the beads. I do not like all of it yet, but happily know that it is a print that could be remade -- as opposed to the one-of-a-kind collage pieces I usually make. Technology is becoming increasingly important to what I do.
Being immersed in so much talk of painting makes me want to high tail it to the MFA today and get lost in the colors and forms of all that genius. There is an Egon Schiele exhibit, plus the gems and favorites from the collection. So many of the pieces referenced in the book are housed right here in Boston. We are so lucky. I look around me, however, and can't seem to reconcile the things that need doing with a creative hunger that needs satisfying. That and the RA flare up and the impending energy crash...feels like crushed glass in my knees and ankles, and despite the strong sun this morning, I need to sleep more. Not exactly conducive to walking the sacred halls of the MFA. Or washing the floors, either, but that is non-negotiable. Then again, the book revealed that Picasso was a pack rat and his studio and living quarters were a cluttered, filthy mess. Hmmmm....
Come to think of it, Picasso may have been creating a portrait of an RA body. Cheers.