Sunday, December 4, 2005

No. 14

         John William Waterhouse: The Crystal Ball [with the skull] - 1902

Since I am in the process of re-examining my life journey, I thought this painting appropriate. This painting is called "The Crystal Ball." It is by J.W. Waterhouse, one of my favorite artists. When the castle was bought in the early 1950's, the painting came with it, but the owner did not like the skull in the picture, so he had the painting altered by covering up the skull with the curtains. When the painting was up for sale again, the skull was re-discovered through earlier photographs, Xray, and re-analysis. The skull remains protected by varnish under the retouch, but the painting can easily be cleaned up to recover the skull.

GRATEFUL LIST (continued)

14. I am grateful for my creativity, my imagination, and my love of art. I am especially drawn to the Pre-Raphaelite artists, but there are also other artists that I find fascinating. When I was a little girl, I would save my quarter to buy the Little Golden Books that were illustrated by Eloise Wilkin, but I never knew that I could draw until I was discovered by my second grade teacher, Mrs. Magdalena. Up until now, all I knew was how to work hard for a living. I never dreamed of how beautiful having art in your life could be. Mrs. Magdalena put my artistic talent to use by having me draw all of the pictures on the teepee that we had in the center of the classroom. It felt weird not to be playing with the other children in the playground, but I liked bringing the imagination of my drawings to life. This was the first time that I discovered how different my life was compared to some people who didnt have to work hard for a living. Because colored pencils and water colors were inexpensive, it was something that I could afford when I got paid for working in the fields. When I became a teenager, I taught myself how to sew and my creativity and imagination allowed me to have the kind of clothes that only the people with money could have. From the works of my own hand and from the many artprints available today, art was something from the rich that I could have in my own poor, sad little world. It is sad that because I didnt marry well and because of my continued need for survival, I had to put my artistic ability into the Glass Box in 1976. It is sad to discover that I may have associated art as a pastime that only people who have money can indulge in. Like the missing skull in the painting above, I have preserved my artistic ability with varnish, but I know that it continues to be a missing part of my life that needs to resurface.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

When the student is ready, the teacher will come.

PLEASURE:

It would be nice to take time to draw something today. Unfortunately, I have to get the service logs ready to hand them to my boss in the morning, but I have gathered my art supplies together and that is a good start.

Thanks for stopping by.

Love, Win =.)

 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

HEY WIN--YA ALWAYS MAKE ME THINK!--THANKS---FOR A LOTA REASONS I HAVE ALSO LOST MY USING ARTS IN EVERYDAY LIFE---NEED TO GET ME A HOBBY--Love, MARY