Extravagant Woman
Oil on Linen Panel, 16x20"
I have several paintings with this woman as the model. She is a woman with an extravagant body. She is just as extravagant in height, nearly six feet tall. She has a personality to match. She is intelligent, possesses opinions that are well informed, and a lexicon of emphatic mannerisms to make her points. We have had to discipline ourselves in the talking department in order to keep her still. If the conversation gets too animated no one can take artistic advantage of having a model.
It's a sacrifice for our very talkative group. New members have left in disgust because they could not tolerate our chattiness. Too bad for them. It's a condition for membership. If one wants silence, then stay in the studio. Part of the fun is the sociability of the banter of like-minded friends. Besides, when it gets challenging, we all shut up.
I too, possess a similarly extravagant body. I have made self-portraits in the nude that have received both positive and negative receptions. I had e-mails from one woman who was deeply offended by my "grossly overweight body." She advised me to keep my "images to myself and not assail her or anyone else with such offensive images." I wonder, would she have the same reaction if she happened to encounter me in the produce department of the local super market? Would fat people have to drink from separate drinking fountains or limit their time in public to the middle of the night so that she would not have to endure something so offensive as me or the very vibrant woman in my painting? To all who are offended by heavy people: Get over it! It takes all kinds of people to make a world so go suck a rock! I hope it tastes horribly bad!
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!
I saw this yesterday and am totally in awe of this woman and this painting! It's wonderful. I think of these as women of substance--they claim their space, and they're beautiful. This may be my favorite among your paintings. Paint on.
ReplyDeleteThis woman really claims her space. She is a school teacher turned real estate agent turned school teacher. She's back in the classroom as a substitute teacher because of the recent real estate disaster.
ReplyDeleteShe is of Italian descent and matches the stereotype of the Italienne who talks with her hands. I talk with my hands too.
Impressive. I was on Hallie's blog and the thumbnail brought me here. Wow! People who define a life by physical aspects alone are dull and missing the vibrant mosaic of humankind.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I think what keeps me painting the figure is the beauty of human variety. Everyone who walks in to model has their own beauty. It's that certain elusive "je ne c'est quoi" that each of us is trying to capture in our own way. If they were all young with flawless bodies it would become boring really fast. It's the patterns of experience that make one interesting.
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