2018
Meditation Upon Death
Challenging conceptually, artistically, and technically, Meditations Upon Death takes the viewer on a three-act emotive journey through the realms of life and death. Mysterious feeling brings the viewer into a shamanic movement through the realms. This painting moved from sketchbook and watercolor into coding for the curves and the world of paint colors. This multi-year process developed an entire shower stall of rolled canvases.
Artificial intelligence and generative systems created the layers of clouds and spline curves. A new robotic code for Dulcinea’s wrist created long, graceful brush strokes and layered, feathered clouds. Deep and rich, like the four layers of glaze that enrich the surface, Linda’s Painting heightens our experience of the ephemeral of life and the questions that follow.
5,796 brushstrokes
78” x 68”
Artistic Insight
It was not until Paul decided upon an idea taken from story telling that the painting’s design and composition started to have more visual clarity in his mind. He decided upon a three-act movement in the painting, progressing from the tragic moment of death, through the spirit wandering through realms of the afterlife, to an unresolved, unsettling ending. The title became “Meditation Upon Death.” It was the most challenging painting conceptually, technically and artistically that Paul and Dulcinea ever attempted.
Development
In artists’ notebooks, dozens of hand-drawn sketches were made, sometimes with ink and watercolor. Over the course of time, these would be revised, ever evolving. How to capture Act I – the tragic moment of death? How do you capture the spirit wondering through realms of the after life? And, for Act III, what do you do? So, pages and pages of additional notes were filled, accompanied by dozens of additional drawings and sketches.
Coding started for the initial curves, to develop a feel for the design’s visual movement. Tentative paint colors were mixed, and portions of the initial designs were painted on sections of canvas. What about the clouds? And, who new there were so many different colors of black. Thus, a multi-year, developmental process commenced.
Technical
It was not until Paul decided upon an idea taken from story telling that the painting’s design and composition started to have more visual clarity in his mind. He decided upon a three-act movement in the painting, progressing from the tragic moment of death, through the spirit wandering through realms of the afterlife, to an unresolved, unsettling ending. The title became “Meditation Upon Death.” It was the most challenging painting conceptually, technically and artistically that Paul and Dulcinea ever attempted.
Shower Stall
A shower stall, half-filled with dozens of tightly rolled canvases, will attest to the dedication, perseverance and developmental process involved. Over the course of weeks and months, and then years, each part of the painting – each of the three acts – would emerge. Eventually, they would all be assembled and painted together on a large canvas. And, once again, more critique, revision, and developmental iteration would be required, evolving ultimately into the final painting.
Conclusion
Usually an artist is never satisfied with a painting. There is always something he or she would want to change or touch up. In this case, at the end there was quiet contentment.