I finally forced myself to give some attention to the exhibit that Elizabeth, Patty, and I are going to have in Machias this Spring. This is the first sketch I've done for that show, which is to be an interpretation of the myth of Demeter and Persephone. I have thought a lot about the image and drew it out of my head. The process of drawing like this is quite fascinating, teasing the subject out of nothing with charcoal and eraser. I actually did the hands first, smudging and rubbing until I liked what I saw. Then I moved to the baby's bottom and legs, letting the image emerge by itself as I pushed the charcoal around. It's very hard to describe just what happens, but you just experiment until you recognize what you see.
In the myth, Demeter gets a job as a governess during her travels looking for Persephone. She becomes so attached to the child that she is caring for, she decides to make him into a god. This is done by putting the baby into fire. The baby's mother stops her before she can do the deed. I liked the idea of drawing the baby over the fire--a disturbing and unlikely picture. It presented itself on the paper in a way that pleases me pretty much, though Demeter's face needs adjustment.
It feels good to be finally doing something about this upcoming committment and I hope to keep up the momentum.
In the myth, Demeter gets a job as a governess during her travels looking for Persephone. She becomes so attached to the child that she is caring for, she decides to make him into a god. This is done by putting the baby into fire. The baby's mother stops her before she can do the deed. I liked the idea of drawing the baby over the fire--a disturbing and unlikely picture. It presented itself on the paper in a way that pleases me pretty much, though Demeter's face needs adjustment.
It feels good to be finally doing something about this upcoming committment and I hope to keep up the momentum.
1 comment:
Very interesting! Thanks for post.
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