Usually with the arrival of Fall I'm overcome with the need to bundle up, drink hot apple cider, and type away at a new script. So far all I want to do is paint. Thank goodness for that.
These past few weeks I've been hard at work on a series that is perhaps the culmination of all previous doodles, paintings, quilts, etc. If ever I have felt lost or out of place, these 11 x 19 inch landscapes seem to have brought me back to exactly where I need to be.
It all started with this:
Over the River and Through the Woods (2011)Watercolor, ink, antique marbled paper, and thread
I had been re-reading Grimm's Fairy Tales (my copy has Arthur Rackham illustrations of course) and wanted to create my own version of the deep woods that Hansel and Gretel left their bread crumbs in, or where Little Red Riding Hood had her run in with Big Bad.
After finishing the painting above I came up with a couple of 3 x 5 inch sketches and fleshed them out:
Sketch for Zauberwald
Zauberwald (2011)An enchanted forest that for whatever reason has similar coloring to the German flag.
Sketch for Crown of Thorns
Crown of Thorns (2011)work in progress
At first my sketch reminded me of a canopy of trees forming in the distance. But the more I work on this piece the more obviouse the title seems to be.
I hope to finish a series of six and will post new images as I complete them. I'll have to save the writing for Winter!
