I started cutting hearts out of thick brown paper bags and writing and drawing on these. This seemed like a good way to build a different base and I liked it but I also liked the impact of background text. I love the way a drawn line looks over printed text but always find it hard to mark a book. Well the time has come and a few dollars at the op shop provided a great drawing surface. I am using these images as part of my collage layers. I have drawn spirals and flowers and think I will start with the cut out flowers. The impasto medium will seal them and who knows how much of the drawing will remain. I know it really doesn’t matter how much I cover up as I know what the layers are there and the fact that they lay hidden beneath or partially exposed through transparencies builds the energetic feel of the piece.
This piece is evolving and several layers further down the track, the flowers are integrated with glazes and stencil work. It is my New Year journey piece and is still in process but I thought I would share where I am taking it. I feel that the composition has taken shape and like the framing effect of the stencil. Still a way to go but it feels right and I will continue with more layers to take it to completion. The wolf is a personal symbol of mine and first appeared as a dream guide. I see the wolf as symbolising a guide and teacher as in the American Indian understanding of the wolf. The five pedalled flower symbolises the Goddess in my work as I explore elements of the feminine. The woman on the right is an image of the Goddess as she manifests life, growth and possibilities.