Marge B. Fulton, click
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Blogs by Marge B. Fulton
My Subject Becomes Palin 9/10/2008 3:39:55 AM
Art reflecting political life. Reality creeps in like poison ivy. No matter how you try to block out the news or any personal roadblock, the persistent image is there. Case in point, I am painting hand over fist to have a healthy portfolio for when the Christmas bazaars and festivals come up. People have told me that my artwork will help finance my literary passions.
I found a photo on Yahoo of an older woman with long hair at a bluegrass festival in West Virginia. She has both arms raised over her head as she fixes her hair. I knew right away I needed to sketch and paint her, if only as a study for future work. Little did I know, she would come out looking like Governor Palin.
It can't be helped I guess. When a face is plastered all over the news, that visage is burned into your brain. My older woman at a bluegrass festival doesn't look as old as I'd hoped and she has Palin's lips. To beat all, those lips look good on my subject. Atleast the painting is silent.
Watercolor portraits seem to be splices of life. Faces often reflect many people in a prism of familiarity. Just as the puddle from your brush can run the wrong way, so does your inspiration. And of course, the whole political boxing match is running off the pages. We can only hope what we end up with is remotely connected to the image we first envisioned.
My woman at a bluegrass festival now with a Palin look to her, has morphed. We as a nation are transforming too. On paper, who knows what we as a country and as individuals will end up looking like.
My image may be like one of the carnival picture props of characters where you poke your face into the hole for a goofy photo. Anyway, I hope my scratch on this surface will be funny like that. I want to be remembered for my sensitivity, good eye, and outlandish humor. A Chinese Pug with lipstick maybe.
