Another one down.
This skull work is becoming a meditation on death.
But curiously I haven’t really had a morbid thought since I began the piece. I think of this angel of death in terms of renewal – like spring coming after winter. Here exultant death presents inevitable transformation, a shift from the old to the new; in terms of art, a movement from stagnant post modernism to a new age of craftsmanship coupled with transcendence, the triumph of technique over self-indulgence – an end to the constant repetition of Duchamp’s toilet.
It’s an allegory of worthwhile and necessary change, not of a fall into eternal sleep.
On a more practical note, I spent a while looking at the skull below Death’s back foot, ultimately deciding to dispose of it so that the skeleton’s foot will now be raised a little above the heaped skulls rather than resting upon them, suggesting a floating quality that I think will be effective in making the figure look a touch more dramatically poised.
Bert Green called yesterday afternoon to make arrangements to come and visit the studio so he can see what other works are available for the show in January at his gallery in downtown Los Angeles; having already decided to show the ravens and a couple of sculptural pieces, he’s considering adding more to the exhibit. I hope that he’ll decide to show the angel because his gallery would be a great venue for the debut of this painting, and I’m confident that it will be finished by Christmas.
I heard from Rhode Island that my In the Eyes of my Ancestors video is up and running. I hope to have some video of the piece in situ soon (huh, a video of a video playing on the other side of the continent). I’m curious about how effectively it’s working as it runs above the university courtyard. I’m incredibly grateful to my old friend Derek Goodall for helping me put it together.
