Gilda Snowden
Black Eyed Susan10" x 10" encaustic and collage on canvas
posted by art blogs are fun at 10:09 AM
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Black Eyed Susan Black Eyed Susan Black Eyed Susan Black Eyed Susan
posted by art blogs are fun at 10:09 AM
24 Comments:
powerful, love it
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powerful, love it
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I just want to nut all over it.....
world is beautiful!
i can smell the rain that gave these flowers life.
huh? (to the comments, and)
flowers? why? (to Gilda)
'flowers? why? (to Gilda)"
Why not?
I saw flowered forms emerging in my large Chair paintings. Decided to focus just on those forms. 10 years ago I had started investigating plant forms that were dark, looking for a truly black plant. I was told that there are no black plants or flowers, but dark blue or violet. Began to collect plants that were dark, or had the word black in their names. Began to paint them. Gravitated to the Black Eyed Susans, particularily, probably because I have a cousin named Susan.
They also fun to paint.
And I am so sick of winter; just needed to surround myself in my studio with color. The subtext of black is still there, though.
Sounds good!
Just thought I would ask since painting flowers comes with its own connotations and histories.
I'm sure that you've considered those?
I use them for their beauty and their therapeutic properties. Never really used my art like that, but right now I am going through some things, and need all the help I can get.
Never underestimate the power of yellow, orange, red, etc etc
Why not (art as therapy), you know?
I just finished attending an orchid festival: amazing flowers!
There's this one type of orchid that has these long ponytail or dreadlock-like pieces hanging from it. They say that no matter how high the flower is from the ground, those locks will go the distance to eventually touch the earth. Ants climb up the locks to get to the pollen spreading the orchid's seed when they move to the next flower.
I'm positive some of the orchids had the word black in their names.
Also, I googled black orchid and came across this site full of "black flower" pictures. You might find it to be of interest. Right click the flowers and save them to your desktop in order to see their names. I think your black flower consultant was wrong :-D
http://improbable.org/era/forty/index.html
I LOVE this site! Thanks so much!
Your welcome. :-D
Sarah just informed me that Jenny Holzer created a "Black Garden" in 1994. Way to go Jenny Holzer.
Thanks for the link, Nolan. I had seen this review a number of years ago, but didnt save it.
I have been fascinated with the whole idea of dark plants for a number of years. My older sister owned a flower shop and nursery for 10 years, and I worked in it occasionally while in grad school. She was the one who told me about the relative scarcity of black plants, and that their true colors were deep purples, blues, giving the appearance of black.
Being aware of the possible metaphorical use of these subjects wasnt lost on me. I started incorporating it into my work, but buried the meanings and metaphors very deeply. They are still beneath the surface in these current paintings, and I laugh while making them. All messages are revealed if one wants to find them.
No one wants to find the messages. Don't quit your day job.
Anon,
That's ignorant!
Gilda,
I don't have to tell you that they're wrong. But I was thinkng: If you are interested in quiting your job some day, then visualize it (Have you seen The Secret Movie?) and visualize yourself on an Art21 video. I'm going to be in the Whitney Biennial with Gilda Snowden next year. I like that!
I'm having fun. I have a day job. I paint whatever I feel whenever I feel it. I am free. Its great to share my fun with others. Doesnt get any better than that!
A very positive response . . .
how refreshing!
i felt bad for the person who said i should keep my day job. Comments like that roll off my back now.......years ago i would have spent time wondering about what I was doing wrong!
Liberation comes with age.
But i dont want it to seem that I ignore criticism....just the opposite. I entertain constructive comments about my work.
Beautiful, Gilda,
This one reminds me of Richard Jerzy.
gilda your'e the best, matt lewis
Very Nice - Strong Colors
I have a feeling that all these overly positive comments of the work are just because it's "Gilda Snowden". Which kind of sucks because nobody feels like they can criticize. I personally am tired of this work and wish that Gilda would try new things once in a while. Every painting I've seen of hers looks exactly like the one before it, and the one before that, and before that. I'm not so concerned with the content. I know that her work is more about the paint and the shapes and forms rather than content. it doesn't matter to me that she's paitnings flowers. It's just the way that they're painted is so stale now. It was exciting when I first saw her work, but she leaves me nothing to look forward to because it's as if this is as good as it will ever get because the work will never evolve into anything more. I really hope she pushes herself more to explore other areas of painting because this is really drying up for me.
MEH, I just saw this comment you made about aspects of this work, and would like to talk with you more about it...please email me at gsnow19543 at aol.com. Looking forward to a dialogue with you.....
Gilda Snowden
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