April is a busy time for me as in my other life I am a bean counter. So even with ideas galore, there was little time to convert them into collages. However, true to my resolution for this year I did make two small ones and a third one is almost complete.
I sometimes feel envious about those who use paint as a medium. They just have to squeeze it out of a tube. With collage, one has to accumulate the material first or one just can't get started. And this can be time consuming. So for a change, I played around with paints too. I made an abstract geometric painting in acrylic that I have now hung up on my living room wall. This I have painted over a faded print so I made good use of a frame. Recycling feels good and I must confess that I am quietly pleased with how it turned out.
I also made some papier mache sculptures but that is work in progress. They are still drying out and I will post pictures when they are ready.
Here are the two completed collages.
The first one is a painted face from Kathakali. This is a classical dance in drama format of mythological stories from the southern Indian state of Kerala. Katha means story and kali means dance. In this dance form the dancers have vividly painted faces and large costumes. The elaborate facial make-up is the most striking feature of Kathakali. The face paint colours indicate the character of the person portrayed.
Green make up is used for portraying the virtuous and divine, green with red streaks stands for person of high birth with a streak of evil, exceedingly evil persons are portrayed with red painted faces and red beards, black face paint and black beards depict forest dwellers, black with red streaks are for demons and bright yellow painted faces for women and ascetics. The female roles are also played by men in Kathakali!!
This collage here has a green face with a white beard so we can safely say that he is a good guy. And the sideways look that's amore. ('Amore' as in the Dean Martin song... when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie...that's amore)
The second is a limited palette collage of Phalaenopsis - my favourite orchid.
Title : Phalaenopsis
Size : 10" x 12"
The first one is a painted face from Kathakali. This is a classical dance in drama format of mythological stories from the southern Indian state of Kerala. Katha means story and kali means dance. In this dance form the dancers have vividly painted faces and large costumes. The elaborate facial make-up is the most striking feature of Kathakali. The face paint colours indicate the character of the person portrayed.
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| Title : Kathakali Size : 12" x 12.5 " |
The second is a limited palette collage of Phalaenopsis - my favourite orchid.
Title : Phalaenopsis
Size : 10" x 12"
3 comments:
Yes, Vijaya, it does feel good to re-use and recycle. We feel as though we're doing something good for the earth. I like your abstract painting! It looks fabulous. I would much rather collage the abstracts though. I just have a hard time getting with the acrylic paints, and much prefer oils.
I love the history of cultural aspects of your paintings. It's wonderful to learn about another's culture. (+: Kate
Your art is wonderful and funky. It's also original, daring and fun. I love the bright and vibrant colors. Awesome and imaginative work.
Thank you Shelley and Kate.
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