"Dust of Snow"
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
~Robert Frost
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| 'Dust of Snow', Acrylics on 6"x16" found wood.... |
For their 2015 exhibit schedule, EBSQ, (the online community of self-represting artists I've long been a member of), has reduced their monthly themes from two or three options to choose from, to one theme per month. I do understand why -- to streamline for one thing, while helping to keep entries up by funneling them into one monthly show as opposed to spreading entries across several shows. I get it, though I must admit I did like having options. Nevertheless, the way things are, is the way things are. I can certainly work with a single theme if need be..., and so we have here my entry for EBSQ's only January theme, "Winter Landscapes"....:
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| My "Winter Landscape"-themed entry, entitled 'Dust of Snow (Robert Frost)'..... |
Anyone familiar with my artwork must surely know my ongoing fascination with people. I adore nature, things, animals and critters of all ilk, and I'll paint that too sometimes. And yet, almost always, my most preferred subject matter of all typically filters down to People. Famous people, strangers, family, friends -- doesn't matter really, when it comes to my subjects, I usually find myself defaulting to that ever familiar map of the human face. And so, upon contemplating my entry for a "Landscape" show, I knew it would HAVE to involve a person one way or another.....
There is a wee back-story behind the planning of this painting. In a way, this entry came to be as actually a sort of collaboration between a couple of folks.....
A number of months ago, a FB friend posted a new picture as her profile photo, one that I found myself really taken with. An attractive lady (with amazing bone structure) to be sure -- and yet there was more to it than that. I was quite struck by the photo overall...the angle of the shot, the tilt of the head, the striking countenance, the classic proportions, the expressive eyes. As a visual person, I found it all particularly arresting. I asked my friend if she might give me permission to paint her photo -- not knowing at the time exactly how or when, only that I simply wanted to.... someday.
And then I have another friend with whom I correspond, who has an interest in the reading and writing of poetry. We were discussing potential themes for February's Nibblefest Art Contest theme of 'Black and White', when she mentioned her research into info regarding crows for a poem she is in the process of writing. She brought up the universal symbolism of crows, as well as the mythology involving the colors of Black and White as representing life and death . She sent me the following passage that she had found somewhere...:
The god Bran the Blessed – whose name means "crow" or "raven" — is associated with corvids and death; tradition holds that Bran's severed head is buried under the Tower of London,
facing France — a possible genesis for the practice of keeping ravens
in the Tower, said to protect the fortunes of Britain. In Cornish folklore, crows — magpiesparticularly
— are associated with death and the "otherworld", and proscribes
respectful greeting. The origin of "counting crows" as augury is British; however, the British version rather is to "count magpies" — their black and white pied colouring alluding to the realms of the living and dead...."
Plenty
of food for thought...! Fascinating indeed, and so I was ruminating
upon all this for Nibblfest..., when it was also time to begin thinking
about my 'Winter Landscapes' entry. After a few snow storms in my neck
of the woods, the views outside my window are all about "winter
landscapes' right now (with it snowing yet more as I type). Plenty of
white, plenty of snow, ice, and frost. Well, 'snow' and 'frost' got me
to thinking of 'Robert Frost'..., plus 'crows', and 'black and white'.
It wasn't long before I was struck with the recollection of a few winter
verses by this most esteemed poet. Sure enough, a quick search had me
finding exactly what I was looking for..., the poem, 'Dust of Snow", by
Robert Frost (and really could his name be more perfect for a subject of
"Winter Landscapes", lol???), and I was set. It was then that my
friend's FB pic popped into mind, and that's when it all gelled -- I
knew exaclty where I was going, with the piece practically painting
itself (always lovely when that happens -- very zen!). So here's a big
thanks to my fellow 'collaborators', L. and V., for providing me with
such great inspiration.....
Now,
not to bore anyone to death, I do have just one last little tidbit of
random aside here. As stated, my painting support for this piece is
found wood. I do enjoy working with unusual canvas sizes, which this
certainly is, being as that it is approximately 6" by 16". I like how
weirdo proportions can challenge me to play with compositions, while
forcing me to think outside the box. As for this chunk of found wood, let me explain exactly how I came to 'find' it. I'd
been holding onto it for some time -- ever since dumpster diving it from
a neighbor's home renovation project many moons ago (shocking, no?). It sits directly
behind our lot, an old house that's probably closing in on a 100 years
(if not already). A stately, large Craftsman, it had seen insult after
injury and then some over the years, thanks to the fact I live in a
university town, with a high student population and the many urban
planning pressures that come with trying to house them all. The home
had been subdivided and re-subdivied into who knows how many individual
apartments (I think it was something like 7 by the end, including
roomers in the attic and basement). Let's face it, students don't
exactly have the reputation for being the most conscientious of renters. Then add to that a few absentee landlords and you can imagine the state
of the house after a few unfriendly decades. Ugh, so derelict and run
down (like, even more so that my own, and that's saying something)...!
Happily, another neighbor, with an eye to the interests of the
neighborhood, and the resources to get things done, bought the house and
completely rehabbed it, into what is today a lovely vintage, American Foursquare, single family showplace. While this work was underway, I
had quietly helped myself to a few of the chunks of wood I spied sticking out of the
dumpster that was parked behind my house for months (hopefully no one would have
minded!). Perhaps it from the original construction of the house (?) -- if so it would be near a century old or more. I like thinking of the long gone tree it potentially came from. In any case, I may be practical to a fault at times, but I knew it could
come in handy on day (plus it just goes to show how 'making something
from nothing' never, NEVER fails to tickle me. To no end!).....
