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Saturday, May 17, 2014

It's My Baba's Fault ... Geese - Work in Progress

Aureolin and quin. sienna in a very wet wash.

Pillars of cloisters done with aureolin, permanent rose and cobalt blue. Geese started with wash of  a mixture of aureolin, alizarin crimson and indanthrone - a bit on the violet side.

I painted the shadows of the pillars with thin w/w washes of aureolin, alizarin and indanthrone - you can still see the effect in the center of the painting. It looked too cool and blah, so I am in the process of doing a w/w variegated wash with quin. burnt orange.
When I was very young, my grandmother helped raise me, while my dad was busy being a doctor, and later, out of town studying for his ENT specialty. So my Ukrainian Baba was a HUGE influence on my life. She used to put my sister and I to bed at night telling us animal stories that she made up on the spot. I can still remember all the adventures of Momma Pussy, Daddy Pussy and Baby Pussy, as they travelled out and about Toronto [where we lived then]. Then there was Les Myketa [Mr. Fox - I think I still have that book.] So I believe her stories left an impact on me - I still LOVE all animals, and perceive them as beings with loves, preferences, family lives - beings much as we are.
So here are my Toulouse geese. See them as monks or tourists in a monastery - enjoy them. :)

Thank you for dropping by! Your comments are always welcome!

6 comments:

  1. Toulouse geese in a monastery! How wonderfully quirky and creative! Love this idea and love the start!

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  2. Ah Kathryn, you brought some good memories to me too. My grandma used to have nanny from Ukraine and that nanny told her many fairy tales .. then my grandma would tell them to me and my sister when putting us to bed in our Summer house .. There were wolves that turned to be princes, gorgeous swans that turned into princesses, and of course evil quins that gotta be turned into snakes of some sort... Great memories! I called my grandma Baba Vera..

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  3. We love them to pieces!
    No one in the world can put as much feeling into the geese as you do!!
    love
    tweedles

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  4. What a beautiful environment you put your geese in , very original and striking :-) xx

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  5. They are definitely at home in this setting, and I enjoyed hearing about your Baba :). Do you still have family in Ukraine?

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  6. I love the geese in their unusual setting! Thank you for your Baba!

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