Wednesday, February 6, 2013

'The Bronte Sisters': Day 6 of the '29 Faces' Feb 2013 Challenge




So it's been a couple of days since I last posted, but no worries -- with this post I'm all up to date with my Faces for the "29 Faces Challenge".  Since Monday I've been working on this piece with three figures for my Faces #4, #5, and #6.   And so we have here my own little tribute to the ever talented, but ever tragic, Bronte Sisters....:


Anne, Emily and Charlotte:  'The Bronte Sisters',  a 3.5 x 4 original painting

A little backstory..... years ago I picked up this funny wee wooden plaque at a charity sale.  As I've written before, I like to reuse the old frames, plaques, found wood and such like that cross my path from time to time.  This shapely little piece of wood, with its tantalizingly curvy contours, was actually originally painted in such a way as to suggest a rudimentary 'slice of bread'.  Can you see that in those indented sides...?  If I recall there was possibly even a quote on it -- maybe 'Give us this day our Daily Bread', or something like that.  In any event, I brought it home with me with the intention of recycling it for my own purposes.  But, the diminutive proportions.  And that odd shape...!   I was stumped for ideas.  And so I did what I always do when I'm stumped for ideas.  I set the funny little plaque aside.  Outta sight/outta mind....,


Photographed with a quarter, for size reference....

....that is, until I was assembling potential painting supports for this '29 Faces' Challenge.  Digging around, I pulled out the long-forgotten, oddly-shaped plaque, and was trying to figure how I might ever make use of it, when it occurred to me that I was actually seeing potential "necks" and "heads" in those curvy contours.  Why hadn't I realized that before?  Thinking on it further, I decided there was actually room on the plaque for THREE faces in all -- but..., of whom?  Just three random faces....?   Not terribly interesting.   Until it popped into my head:  3 faces.... 3 sisters.... but of course!  The Bronte girls: Anne, Emily and Charlotte -- sisters, poets and novelists, all.....


Left Side, with the painting continued onto the sides, as you can see.....


Anne Bronte:  (17 January, 1820 – 28 May, 1849), author of
'Agnes Grey' and 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall'

Emily Bronte:  (30 July, 1818 – 19 December, 1848), author of
'Wuthering Heights'

Charlotte Bronte:  (21 April, 1816 – 31 March, 1855), author of
'Jane Eyre'


Right Side


The Brontes were a talented lot, but it wasn't an easy life.  Losing their mother at a very young age to disease, losing two elder sisters to disease, dealing with a troubled alcoholic brother, and enduring sexism galore (cultural norm at the time) in regards to their publishing, they then each went on to get sick in their 20's and 30's and enter early graves themselves.  But happily not before leaving behind a body of work that remains much beloved and classic reading to this day....


View from the Top


View from the Bottom

(My usual little blurbie about using recycled materials in my art:

I have recently begun painting almost exclusively on supports I create myself utilizing the old, salvaged wooden picture frames, found wood and plaques that cross my path from time to time (often for free). I feel good about giving these unwanted homeless items a second life, not only because trees were cut down at some point to produce them, but also because by the time I get my hands on them they are usually destined for the landfill.)


Rest in Peace, Anne, Emily and Charlotte



7 comments:

Unknown said...

You reworked this into an amazing piece of art!

Lisabella Russo said...

I love this piece, it's so beautiful and fabulous. The edges really complement the piece. I've read some of the Bronte's work, but knew very little about them, thank you for expanding my knowledge too and your wonderful piece.

caryn strauss-smith art and design said...

I love your style, Paience. This piece joins the pantheon! Love the subject matter.

Anne said...

Beautiful work and thank you for sharing the story.

Unknown said...

We think of things when the time is ripe. (Was going to say right, but ripe seems more appropriate.) This is a lovely tribute to the sisters.

Terri Corona said...

Beautiful! The shape worked out so perfectly, and thanks for all the info!

Delilah said...

Excellent work, I love that you re purpose items in you rwork.