RED AS THE NEW BLACK
The first painting I did 8 years ago (2012) was at least 50% black. From the very beginning of my art practice, black was there, as were red and white. I have always assigned significance to this - with each color having its own meaning. For me, fear, self doubt, anxiety, isolation, darkness...all inhabit black. Though I don't consciously feel anxious or fearful when I paint, I tell myself that subconsciously something in me cleary does.
To this day, black continues to be a major player in my artwork. Of late, however, I am noticing a shift from black to red. Black may still be there in my work but red, which as noted has also been with me from the beginning, is starting to take a much more dominant place.
While black's self doubt and isolation may still be inside me somewhere, red's indomitable passion, engagement with life, fierceness, are quietly taking center stage in my most recent work.
My thinking is that the pandemic is summoning up red responses in me: a stubborn refusal to give up, to give way to discouragement, a willingness on some psychological level to "shed blood" rather than be defeated by today's alarming realities! I now see this “red thing” as a gigantic visual reference to flipping off everything out there - which is plenty - that is trying to bring down truly all of society with discouragement, divisive propaganda, and gloom. In other words, red is me going toe to toe with the whole world - with all it's negative data, pitiful prophesies, disturbing speculations - screaming as loudly as I can "I WILL NOT BE OVERCOME!”
70, a college drop out with no CV at all other than 30 years of being a homeschooling stay-at-home-mom, now turned abstract artist, I totally reject today's pessimism/fatalism and stand for hope, for faith, for loving kindness. Yes, red as loving kindness - love it!
