I've been busy scribbling, drawing, writing...and painting too. 'Brave New Works' happens on the first weekend of November, and I'm in for the extended, deeper, richer version of 'The Wolf Bride', and decided that while I was at it, I might sneak in some other fairytale bits and bobs, and call it 'The Wolf Bride and Other Tales.' I've also been experimenting with set/installation ideas, and refining what/how I want to perform this time. Definitely not stuck in a chair, I want to be up and moving, though I'll have to sit down for the songs. So I'll need to 'choreograph' movements and mime, and work out how to move from 'singer in chair' to 'actor on stage' fluidly and gracefully! I recently had the great good fortune to be invited to join a wonderful bunch of creative local women, with arts practices eclectic and wide ranging, in a week long workshop with award winning dancer and choreographer, Clare Dyson. What a brilliant time we had, with serious play, improvising and nutting out performance ideas around the notion of 'Object as Metaphor'. And what a joy to spend a whole week with my head in that creative place. So I've got ideas brewing! And in the meantime, new paintings!
'Sleeping Beauty' is emerging.
She was going to have bare feet, but then I decided I needed some more red in there
(and I'm not so great at toes!)
She's a very flexible 'Sleeping Beauty'! I'm really pleased with the climbing rose twisting out of her hair, creating the thorns that envelope the castle.
I decided it was high time Oberon got his Titania back, as I sold the first one. I also decided it was high time he stopped looking at younger women, and had a mature Titania more suited to his own age!
Base drawing (found a photo of a lovely older woman on the web for reference, then changed it around a bit, but it always ends up evolving and morphing in the creation anyway).
Base drawing completed, graphite on canvas.
Acrylic over-painting, face almost complete.
Almost done, bit more detail to do on her hair.
Titania (II) complete. I don't think she's going to take any nonsense from Oberon!
My Wolf is still speaking, new poems still coming. I'm not sure how/if I'm going to incorporate these into the performance in November, it may be better to leave them as something the audience can read independently of the performance, in hand lettered poems on the walls, or little books of wolf poems for sale, perhaps. Here's a new one:
In soft black earth
her heel's imprint,
a fallen shard of sky
in bright spring rain.
One paw on either side
I stoop to drink
the white clouds drifting
in her wake.
I think I will also have some of my little 'Snow White to the Woodsman' booklets in the exhibition, so the next painting might be Snow White. But I still have lots of 'Wolf Bride' things to do, including one more big painting, a possible new song, and extended narrative, so we'll see. I shall be busy!
Please remember that everything on this blog is © Christina Cairns, unless otherwise credited.
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