18.3.08

Current Projects

I had a dream about lions mane while I was in Townsville. (When my grandad passed away) I was stroking a mans hair and his hair was a lions mane. It was kind of spikey at the front and had a blue racing stripe down the middle. The hair was really soft. I was probably asleep with my fingers tangled up in my hair... but anyway haha I just remember the soft silky feel of it. It was a very bold haircut, proud, powerful and distingquished - but also a bit wild, it had a kind of dangerous edge to it. Since then I have wanted to create a series of lion themed paintings - portraits of men with different lions mane hair styles - the spikey one in the dream, long soft curly locks etc... I want to do one with a foresty/jungly green wall paper in the background, plus the 3 part jungle lion series in my last blog. This picture below is of the first one I have been working on... I started it around Christmas and then it has been on hiatus for a while... mainly because the strands of hair are a challenge (currently its basic thick strokes blocking in the sections) and I'm having trouble approaching the hair... sigh... I think it will be alot of detail. Also another painting I have been working on is this one - again based on a dream! In the dream I was in a boat with my family travelling down an icy deep green river, the river had big smooth swelling waves and we were edging dangerously past icebergs - the boat capsized and I had to save my family. I was really angry in the dream that no one seemed to care about making sure everyone was alright - I rescued my father and he turned into my grandfather (his father) and he was dying again. Anyway the dream had alot of meanings - but the coldness and the icebergs are symbolic (in the dream dictionary hahaaha) for a block in creativity (which is what I have been having!) so I think the idea of painting icebergs when I have a creativity block is kind of ironic and funny... anyway... Maybe myself going through the icebergs in a canoe or ice in my mind... or just the icebergs - this is what I have done so far anyway...

Oh aswell... in the background is half a painting I'm doing that is kind of a van gough appropriation hahah it is a portrait of me with scissors cutting my ear off - blood trickles down from both my ears like a veil or long hair and there are van gough stars in the sky - it is in blue at the moment and is about heart break - meaning I cant hear any more music without your love in my life - all of my music reminds me of you - i cant stand to hear again - so i give you my ears... etc sort of vein anwyay... I designed it on my way to Japan... still thinking about it...
I WILL FINISH THESE!!!

3 comments:

bn said...

Emily, these are wonderful paintings I wish I could see them bigger. I love paintings based on dreams.

I don't know if it's relevant but last night a friend was telling me about a phenomenon called cryptomnesia, which is a memory you experience as a new idea or revelation. That is to say your subconscious can find inspiration in forgotten memories. Cool huh?

Makoto said...

Hi Emily!

How are you? I just visited Ben's blog then saw your comment that was saying that you updated your blog :)I got really excited and had a browse of your awesome paintings! I wish that blogger had an alerter thing that let people know who has updated their blogs... Then I would have commented sooner.. sorry.

I really like the concept and colour themes for your lion paintings and am really glad you have updated. (zu-tto mattemashita...) I love seeing people's recent work so please keep updating, I can't wait to see more progress :) Thank-you & Ganbatte!

Emily Nelson said...

I think you can see them bigger if you click on them!