Sunday, January 22, 2012

For Mama

  My mother recently moved for the winter to an apartment in town. It's a lovely one bedroom in a quiet area and all things are perfect.  Except that the walls are bare.  Now, I am not sure my mother really minds the bare walls.  She fills her days with jigsaw puzzles, computer work, reading, crossword puzzles and all sorts of communication and mentally engaging activities.  But that was the first thing I noticed when I went to help her unpack. The walls were empty.
















The next time I went up to see her, I brought her one of my paintings.  It was bright, colorful and abstract.  Very abstract.



     My mother is wonderful.  She wants to support her kids in whatever their pursuits are.  She has listened to more fledgling musicians, has read more original poetry and/or other written pieces, has ooh-ed and aw-ed more homemade gifts and sewing project than you can shake a stick at.  So, when I brought her my abstract brightness, she tried.  She really did. But I am no dummy. I could see by her questioning face that she wasn't really sure WHAT this was I had painted.  And knowing WHAT it was seemed important.  So, I very quickly said something along the lines of, "Oh, wait, I have a better idea.  How about I bring several up and you can choose the one that YOU like.  I brought this one because I like it a lot and it is bright and sunny but I can bring several and you can choose."  Her smile and laugh while nodding her head confirmed that this was probably the right idea.

    Okay, so here's the problem.  My paintings don't come out of realism.  I didn't have any that I could take up to her.  I decided that I would have to do my best and create something she could read.  My mother has always had a flower garden. I decided that I would give flowers a go.  I loved playing with backgrounds and the colors and trying some different combinations.  What you see below are the four finalists.  Remember, the photos cannot show the real painting.  You cannot see the fine points nor the texture.  The lighting is not the best either.  Paintings are always so much more alive in person.






    When I told her I would bring some paintings back, Mama said, "Oh, don't paint just for me.  That wouldn't be right.  Paint what YOU want to paint.  It's not the same if you paint something that you are trying to paint for me.  You have to paint what you want to paint."  I got what she was saying but I think I proved her wrong.  I painted something that she might like yet I still had fun.  They are not my favorite of all time paintings, for sure, but they were fun to paint.  It was sweet to paint with Mama in mind and to still play with colors and textures.  I would have gone more abstracty but I wanted her to like them too.   Do you think she will?



Oh, and just for fun, I am including this one because , oh I don't know, I like it?


11 comments:

  1. Well, I like all five of the paintings! I think Mama will like them too. You are so correct that she has always had a flower garden, and it would be nice if she had something on her walls as well that reminded her of that. Come spring, we will work on getting some plants going in the front porch area of her apartment. I think the flower originals are very good, and yet you say you don't do "realism",; these look pretty real to me! I think coming from the background Pauline did, she is not the "type" to appreciate abstract. I think of the seven you posted, my favorite is the second. It has a nice feel to it, and of course speaks volumes. Glad to see you are pursuing this with such energy and creativity!

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    1. Noel - thanks for the encouragement - I is a wonderful escape when I can find the time to escape!

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  2. So dazzling, and Pauline is bound to love them all. There you go-make it hard for her to choose. I knew this was going to work out. Like the newspaper, she just needs time.

    My favorite? The sixth one, because I love the color.

    My word? cherful and aren't they?

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  3. Thanks, guys! And the nice thing is, she can have one,two, three, or all four if she wants!

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  4. Oh my, you are so talented! Where do you live? I would love to have a piece of your art- the colour, the brightness, the freedom of movement....I am in love with several of these! We make an effort to have only original art in our home and have several encaustics that were done on commission...do you sell any of your stuff? I am in awe of your talent, woman!

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  5. Heya, cdnkaro - thank you so much - you don't have to like the artwork like bothers (above) might feel obligated to!
    I live in Northern California and I just make and give away art - I would happily send you a piece! I like when my artwork can find a comfortable home......

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    1. Just remembered to check back, sorry- wish we could receive email notifications of follow-up comments. If I were the one coding Blogger...

      Would you email me @ goaleesings at gmail dot com please and we can discuss?

      p.s. I second MM's comment

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  6. I think you did a great job combining something that will appeal to your mom but still preserving some of the flavor of your other work. And I'm with cdnkaro--as I've said before, I love your stuff. The color and shape combinations are striking.

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    1. Thank you again MM -- I think Pauline will be okay with one or more of these. I know she wants to be supportive so it's a win win, I'm thinking.

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  7. My choice is the first one. I like it because the flowers remind me of twinkling stars. How nice that you were able to capture a bunch and gather them into a bouquet for you Mom.

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  8. Hey! I see the twinkling stars too! I love what you see!

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