by LilyPatToo » Sun Sep 17, 2006 5:56 pm
This thread is completely fascinating to me--thank you so much for beginning it, Project Willow. After just reading the first page, I had to stop and do some deepbreathing to calm myself down enough to be able to think straight and type a response. Lynn’s paintings made me cry like a baby, something I rarely do. And not nice cathartic crying--it hurt to do, if you know what I mean. Please, can anyone link to images? I realize that some may be for private use, but if any of the artists you guys are mentioning are willing to share their work, I’d love to see it. And I’ll post links to a few of my paintings below, too.<br><br>When you quoted that part about inspiration and elaboration, a lot became clear to me about my own chronic painter’s blocks and crises. I never thought about it before, but it’s in the elaboration stage that I f*ck up my own creative process. It’s like the initial inspiration is so pure, but my internal censors (some of them alters and some definitely “program”) take over with a vengeance and chip away at the inspiration until all the deep “me-ness” of the image is excised and what is left is, more often than not, a “pretty picture”.<br><br>My website isn’t up yet, but I’m painting again after a 10 year complete block and now it’s with the consciously-available knowledge that I’m “progam’. So far, only one image--the unfinished ”Lily’s Window” actually deals with the mind control theme in an obvious way. When I took it to a recent World Science Fiction Convention art show, it was extremely interesting to see who had unusual emotional reactions to it, either positive or negative. One woman who has collected my work for decades actually stood in front of it with tears in her eyes and pleaded with me to sell it to her. She just happens to be a member of a fabulously wealthy family that is a cornerstone of the military/industrial complex and I’ve suspected for some time that she may have been in government MC programs. Here’s a link to a photo of the (unfinished) work -- <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/8202/swindow5yx.jpg">Lily's Window</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> and here’s one to a close-up shot -- <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/6302/swindowclsup7ed.jpg"> Detail shot</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> Here’s a fantasy one using Playboy model Susie Owens as the faerie -- <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/2326/nightarisingwtextqt2.jpg">Night Arising</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--><br><br>Generally, I paint astronomical art--space scapes and planet scapes. They are infinitely far-removed from my life and as such are very soothing for me to paint. Here are links to a couple of them, but I’ve literally painted thousands of them over my lifetime -- <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/1390/ruinsallthatremains5lz.jpg">Ruins - All That Remains</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> and -- <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://img327.imageshack.us/img327/6665/tmp18219sl.jpg">(unsure of this one's title--old one)</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--><br><br>This thread makes me want to find the bravery to paint some of my personal, internally-inspired images. When there were no reprisals when I painted and exhibited “Lily’s Window” I began to work on some ideas and I hope to paint them this winter. I’d love to connect with other local artists doing this kind of work, but am too panicked by the thought of attending any conferences. I do belong to Survivorship and I guess I could post there asking for other artists to get in touch. (BTW, don’t worry about my name being on the copyright text on the images--I had no idea I was program when I began posting online and my real name is very well-known as a result. Live and learn, huh?) <p></p><i></i>