by Veils and Dreams
Veils and Dreams (1991)
mixed media on paper
90 x 97 cm. (35.5″ x 38″), irregular
As I continue to sort through slides and prints and post to my gallery, I am occasionally surprised by work that I have forgotten about. The above piece is one of those. It is a one of a kind piece with print elements, drawing and cheesecloth.
Other than the slide, which fortunately was labelled, I could find no records of it nor could I find the piece either. Perhaps there are some notes in an old sketchbook? Did I sell it or trade it or destroy it? This is not very professional of me!
I am happy to have found this image and am rather fascinated by it. It is for me a revisit of a period where I seem to have combined elements from two print series, the Veils Suite and Dreams.
April 14, 2015 in Being an Artist, Drawings, Dreams, Veils Suite by Marja-Leena
Eerie! It is the kind of image that almost reminds me……… That odd shivery sense of something dark…..
Tom, I’ve just been over at your place, reading and commenting on your latest post. Coming back here, it feels like this image reflects in a small way what you have described of your ‘dream’… something slightly dark and mysterious, but not scary to me.
It really is an interesting and mysterious piece, Marja-Leena. My first thought was Miss Havisham from Dicken’s Great Expectations, as a relic that’s probably best in a fine photograph rather than something real you come across after too many years of neglect. As it is, it’s still fresh and very lovely.
Thanks for your kind obervations, Susan. If I were to ever find this piece, it may well be as tattered as Miss Havisham because of the somewhat fragile materials that I used. It was an experiment, a playful project as I recall. I did have to do a lot of challenging colour correction after scanning the slide, probably because it had been photographed in strange lighting.
I agree with the others about the work – I particularly like the Miss Havisham comparison. It is fascinating what we forget and what we remember.
Olga, memory is indeed fascinating and it was something I explored in some of the Dreams series, such as with the Memory/Dreams pieces.
I am thinking not about Miss Havisham like your other commenters (as for me, I have probably brought her up too often!) but about retted corpses of birds and cobwebs and dark, spun sacks of insect eggs, soon to be born. All of this is revealed in fine, strange lettering that humans cannot read.
Which is disconcerting.
Oh my! Disconcerting is putting it mildly. Amazing what viewers read into my semi-abstract work. I don’t think I had such serious thoughts— it was more about the act of making and experimenting with found materials. I wonder if viewers were to see this piece in real life, its textures, materials, and some of those dark areas that don’t reveal themselves here too well… what their response would be then? Semi-abstract work can be hard for many to understand and I usually say – just enjoy.
Thanks for another look, another view, Marly, you are an insightful viewer.
Hmm. I’m using burlap for texture on ceramic pieces. Guess we are both interested in texture right now.
Hattie, I’ve noticed you using burlap on your ceramics, and to great effect. Yes,I love texture and would use it a lot in my etchings and collagraphs.
This piece does not have any burlap or its texture – I think you may have meant this comment for my next post where there is a photo of burlap. That’s okay, so glad you stopped by!