The Fool - The Journey Begins

The Fool - Egg Tempera on Porcelain Ceramic Tile - Catherine Meyers, 2015

I worked for close to seven hours yesterday. Just when you think you are done, then you feel like your not done, which seems to happen a lot. But that's a good thing, as it allows for positive transformation of the work, if you are sensitive to not over working a painting. I think this comes with experience over time.

 Finally I am finally coming to the end of the first painting in my series. This is The Fool, a the carefree traveler, a youthful spirit, filled with mysterious impulse, and is very willing to jump into the deep end of the river of life.

This card numbered 0, is the beginning of the Major Arcana, from the Mythic Tarot Deck, and The Fool is at the threshold, a sort of precipice, in the great journey of life. I feel I am also on the journey, or a new chapter in my life, right along side, traveling with him. I am  also feeling some of the same ambiguity, excitement, and fear that is depicted in this card. However not to begin this journey is to deny all that is youthful, creative, and that which is greater than myself.

The eagle is the bird of Zeus and watches over the Fool as he prepares to embark into the unknown. The cave that the Fool emerges from, is the past. I have to add goat horns on the Fool's brow indicates he is driven by instinct and intuition, like that of a young animal. He is innocent, and not yet conscious, nor does he comprehend what is in store, but is leaping into the future lacking foresight, but his intentions are pure.

It feels good to be so close to having this initial painting done, and getting ready to go on to the next painting,
 The Magician. 

 I'll be finishing The Fool tomorrow. I really did think it was done until I had a re-think. Not much left to add, but I will wait til the day light hours tomorrow, and will post the completed painting. That is, if I don't change my mind, because I think it's not finished, but I'm confident it will be done tomorrow.

Terminal Uniqueness

This is blog post 601. Wow I can hardly believe that. Could have been more had I blogged everyday since 2008, Here it is 2015 and I've been at this for seven years now. So it's a good time for change, and to take stock. I'm so happy to have started back painting again after a hiatus since Summer.

I don't always feel like I want to post work I am still working on, that's not completed, but that's just my sensitive ego that I like to ignore. I think having a sensitive ego is rather like what we call in A.A.having a case of terminal uniqueness. I suspect not showing unfinished work is perhaps best left for writers.

When attending University we had ongoing critiques of our art work, which I must say I do miss as I always learned a lot.There was no room for sensitive egos in art school, especially when I attended the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design back in the 70s.

Today I had a good long stretch of painting, for about five hours. I really didn't want to stop, but I find once the natural light source of the day is gone, it's not so conducive to painting.

I have started a series of 22 paintings, loosely based on the Major Arcana, arcana meaning, Major Secrets, from the symbolic imagery in the Tarot decks, Rider-Colman-Smith, and the Mythic Tarot. This first painting is The Fool , the first card in the Tarot, representing the human journey of life. The Major Arcana Cards are the milestones, happenings or the phases in life. The 56 cards are the Minor Arcana that remain, for a total of 78 cards in the whole deck.

The process of mark making, working with egg tempera, I find so satisfying and rewarding. It may have to do with my compulsive obsessive nature, but I love the effect of the painted marks with layering colour. The surface I am painting on, is a beautiful quality of stone tile I was given by a good friend. With this painting I first applied several layers of gesso which I think should hold up.

I might get it all done tomorrow, but I'm taking my time and am certainly not in a hurry. I still have to fix up the hands, the rose, the eagle and the sun, add a tree, some vines and greenery and a dog. Not decided yet the background yet, but it will be light and airy.

Critique comments are most welcomed. Oh oh, my delicate ego!