Preparation of the Canvas

Conversation - oil on canvas - 50x70cm

Measuring Space - oil on canvas -50x70cm

For  these (and most all of my paintings) the canvas was prepared using gesso (plaster of Paris) mixed with  rabbit skin glue, the formula for  preparation used by artists during the Renaissance. I was careful to create areas of thick material to inscribe the geometric forms and the   lines of my figures.

Rabbit skin glue comes in a dry granular form that is dissolved  in hot water. When completely melted the gesso is added slowly, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles  creamy yoghurt. Using a spatula or brush it is then applied to the canvas. This preparation seals the canvas (usually linen) and helps it to "stretch". When dry, it forms a protective coating for the canvas where your painting medium, whether it be oil, acrylic, wax, etc,etc, can be applied easily.

Measuring Space Continues

Figure in Space - oil on canvas - 160x80cm

Another diptych. . .larger. . . geometric forms. . .formulas. . .figure. . .construction of space. . .

A Diptych in Book Form

Measuring Space - A Book  mixed media on canvas - 100x70cm

the cover of my book

I decided to create a book, a sort of manual of measurement, that could be hung in many ways, open, closed, in a corner or moveable on the wall semi-open. The idea is the same: formulas, geometric figures, anatomical forms as well as a figure that is hidden in the colors of space.

Technical Drawings - A Series

Blueprint Figure - gouache on paper - 50x70cm

 
Here the lines and measurements of the technical drawing are clearly visible but I have broken away from my "family" supply of drawings and have made photocopies on paper that have been used as collage on the  canvas. This is the beginning of a series of work on paper with collage.

Using a Street Map

Figures in Space  - gouache on paper - 50x70cm

This photo (taken a "few" years ago during a show) shows two paintings using the  street map of the city of Kyoto as background, and, again, this was an exam of my son's. Unfortunately I don't have a more detailed photo where the lines can be clearly seen, however, it is the movement that each  background drawing proposes, whether it be a street map or the plan for a building, that dictates the position that my figure will take. They are one.

Measuring Space - title photo

Measuring Space  oil on canvas, 90x100cm

When I changed the layout for my home page, the image of the painting  that inspired my title disappeared.(above)

This work represents the major theme present in my work over the past several years.  This theme began by chance  years ago as I created a gift for my son for his graduation from engineering school. I decided to use a copy of a technical drawing he had done for an exam and at the same time incorporate the human figure in linear proportions and measurements.

Since then, I've continued to explore the possibilities of superimposing the human figure onto architectural drawings. I consider the human body a perfect structure, with proportions, measurements and weights, similar to any architectural structure. I wanted to confront the construction of the human body with that of a civic building . . .muscle and bone, tissue and lymph vs. cement and steel, plaster and glue . . . sinuous line vs. straight line.

 In a kind of symbiosis, the human body dwells the architectural space, gives it breath and vitality.  The tracing of a gesture measures the space.  By measuring it, space is built. And finally, it underlines the energy emitted by each individual figure.

New Year - New work

New work done in the past months to prepare for a show here in Florence entitled "Mescolanze - un gioco" (Mixtures - a game") which closed just two weeks ago.

Figures in Space - mixed media on paper - 38x28cm

Figures in Space - mixed media on paper - 38x28cm

L'Annuncio (The Annunciation)- mixed media on paper - 56x76cm

Figure in Space -  mixed media on paper - 56x76cm

 The next three pieces are watercolors.  Using pages from the album of technical drawings done my  husband when he was a student, I superimposed  figures and highlights using watercolor. . . I am primarily interested in the human body . . .its forms. . .its substance. . .its meaning, both literally and symbolically. . .by a true anatomical vision to a decisive abstraction.

watercolor -34x50cm