After drawing out the painting FOUR TIMES!!! “Reluctant Godmother” is FINALLY on the canvas and I will begin washing in the sky after I finish with e-mails.
I drew out three different compositions on 46” x 68” paper (the size of the canvas) and just couldn’t get motivated to transfer any of them onto the canvas. I thought it was my general despondency due to being stranded in this part of the country (but I’ve painted 15 paintings so far and have been extremely depressed about being in Oklahoma while painting them all, so that
shouldn’t have been a factor).
All 3 compositions depicted Georgia O’Keeffe in her “later”years, after she had become an American icon of the Southwest. Apparently, “Georgia” wasn’t pleased with any of those and during a moment of frustration, a totally different direction began to emerge from the ethers as I began drawing the 4th version of “Reluctant Godmother.”
Apparently, “Georgia” wanted to be depicted as the “young and sensuous Earth-goddess” her husband, the photographer Alfred Stieglitz depicted her as at the beginning of her career as an artist, while living in New York City. As I look at many of her paintings, that “earthy” and youthful spirit continued to be expressed by her on canvas, until her eyes began to fail her (well into her 90’s) and she could no longer paint. I am now happy with the composition and apparently “Georgia”is too, because I have spent the past few days completing the drawing, transferring the drawing to the canvas and will begin “washing” in the sky and background tonight before going to bed.
Depression aside, I am pleased with the direction and “message”of the painting and am FINALLY back at “slinging paint!”
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