Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Something Girlie

As a little girl, I wasn't exactly a tom-boy, but I certainly wasn't a "girlie-girl" either. Although I owned a lot of dolls I didn't play with them much. I was more interested in playing with my super-duper tow truck and Lincoln logs. As I got older, although I was definitely feminine, I wasn't comfortable in ruffles and lace and very rarely wore pink. And I'm still that way today.

I think my art reflects my personal style. I think it has a subtly feminine look but it's not over the top girlie. For the most part. Every once in a blue moon, though, some impish muse grabs a hold of me and I end up creating something that is exceptionally girlie.

The first time that happened was with the collage at the top of this post; which I named, "Something Girlie." It was completely different for me and I wasn't sure about it. Surprisingly, to me, it sold almost right away. Evidently it must have struck a "girlie" chord in the buyer.

A couple of years later I was creating
work for a two-woman art show that we had named "Femme Fatale." I had it in my mind that I wanted to create a piece using a color theme of lavender, lemon yellow, mustard yellow and celadon green. Much to my surprise, "Bubble Fairies" emerged. It made its debut in the show but looked so unlike the rest of my work that it has since graced the walls of my granddaughter's bedroom where it exactly matches her color scheme. (Now she's a girlie-girl.)

So now, three years after the emergence of "Bubble Fairies," I recently gave birth to another girlie piece. I was in my studio doing a little "free association." It started with a bottle of lavender paint and a page from the 1914 Lancaster County, PA, Farmer's Almanac. What happened next I hardly remember but when I "came to" I was a little horrified. It was very pink with little pink butterflies. I wasn't sure I could live with the piece, especially when I looked at it side by side with another, edgier piece I was working on.

Well, I slept on it and the next day I decided I could redeem it if I went over the top girlie with lots of glitter and one more butterfly in aqua. And that's how "Butterflies" came to be. And just maybe it will strike a chord in a girlier girl than me!

On a slightly different subject, I have a question for anyone who happens to read this. Even though I don't use a flash, I have difficulties capturing the glittery essence of some of my sparklier pieces, such as this one. Does anyone have a helpful hint?



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh Kris.... these are so beautiful. I can really be a girlie girl so I loved this post!!!
MB

Anonymous said...

So beautiful Kris. I just love your art...:) OH! and I would like to try to win the bag plz...lol
deb nix

Anonymous said...

I know nothing about cameras and cannot help with the lack of "glitter," but I have to say the photos on your blog look wonderful. I thought of Georgia May as soon as I saw "Bubble Fairies"! She is more like "one of the boys," yet definitely has her girlie side, and I know she'd love that picture!