Art Transits: From Past to Present
My artwork often steeps and manifests over weeks, months and in this case, years. I decided to begin in my new studio with a series of pieces originally inspired by seeing Cassini’s Meridian at the Basilica di San Petronio in Bologna Italy in 2019.
Created by astronomer Cassini in 1655, it is the longest meridian in the world. The meridian was created by Cassini for navigating and observing planetary bodies. The sun hits the line from a precisely placed hole of light in the ceiling of the nave each day at noon.
The unifying theme in this body of work quite literally is transitions. I am excited to see how being in a new place that offers a constant view of the horizon combined with significant movement of constellations will inform the work. This series of 20 pieces, each 14” x 11”, represents both past and present, and in hindsight, they represent the 20 years of creating in my previous studio.
Meridian Series
Stumbling upon Cassini’s Meridian in Italy affirmed for me that there are no coincidences! I had just completed a series of paintings based on and titled Meridians! Cassini discovered the planet Saturn, the planet that rules Capricorn, and I had been closely following NASA’s Cassini Mission that captured the first-ever photos of the rings of Saturn.
Transit is a word I have used in titles and have returned to throughout my creative evolution as it takes on many metaphorical meanings; transits of the moon, the sun and the outer planets, transits of storm systems, global shifts, and transits through time, change and place.
These pieces use many techniques and methods I developed in my work over the 20-year long “residency “ in my previous Portland studio. Each is made up of transferred and collaged graphite rubbings of texture from my larger works, layers of encaustic wax, texture, etching, and pigment stick. My process often involves repurposing the shards of materials cast off in the process of making to create new work.
So here I sit before these 20 pieces as I transition from my studio of 20 years. I am thinking of calling them “Constellation Atlas” to best convey what they embody and how my new surroundings will influence them. These pieces will reflect significant transits that are taking place in my life in accordance with celestial bodies. While they currently represent the past, these will express transition that will evolve into the present in a new studio.
I’ve also started assembling two collages that will be on 20” x 16” panels. These are created from ink blot prints (ink that is blotted off of my large prints) on tissue paper. The darker prints underneath are proofs from an etching print that I am incorporating into the collages. Done in a similar way to my Fleeting Moment Series, these express transits specifically through travel as they lingered in my imagination from 2019 and are initially inspired by my visit the the DaVinci Machines Museum at Chiesa di san Barnaba.
Thank you for reading my blog! I hope you found some of my sources and inspirations interesting.
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