When I was a mere child, one of my favorite and kinda creepy things I liked were the "Let's Pretend" books with the 45's that came with. No tape recorders here, we listened to records...tape recorders were too pricey and for adults. Go figure.
Anyhow, I loved the drawings and the colours (shocking) of the well thought out books, and loved the records with the narrator and the wonderful way they brought the story to life (including the special effects that were awesome). I remember looking at the book and then looking at the record when it was time to hear the 'beep' and turn the page - seeing the 'Let's Pretend' label in some funky yellow or orange font going round and round...but now that I think about it, the stories were scary ones - like the Brothers Grimm.
The princess or damsel in distress is hunted down relentlessly by some witch and, well, we all know the story. Not all the stories were happy endings - take the 'Little Mermaid' - that story scared the crap out of me and I never figured out why. She turns into sea foam because she can't 'get the guy' she loves and poof! she's gone forever. Sob!
Gosh, sounds like my dating life prior to getting Chris up to the altar (took me five sea-foamed years darn it!!). Got rid of that horrid fish tail finally! LOL!
I used to 'try' to pretend those stories were 'just pretend' but there was something sinister and more tangible to them than I liked to admit. I'm not a scary book or movie fan by any means, but when I wanted to be a bit scared, I'd slap one of those records on and read the book, slowly...retracing the whole darn book from front to back. The covers on these books were creepy too.
I think I know why. Every artwork on these dark stories were in negative tones (colour speak here). All of them. Even Cinderella. Heck, even the meant-to-be-happy stories were bleak looking. It's like someone took a BLACK canvas and mixed all the nice bright colours with some sort of brown or black wash when they were done with the artwork. Very 70's.
Why that was facinating for me, I don't know, but I figured out something this year...most of all of my early paintings are JUST LIKE THAT. Dark cores with colours coming out of them. Yeah, they're brighter than the old books I liked, but once I put them all up in one room together to display at work, MAN, what WAS I thinking? Pass the prozac, folks.
So, I'm tossing out the black and the almost black Sienna Brown for the NEW set of paintings with COLOUR. I guess the base will be white this time instead of black. More flowers, more joy.
I'm sure if you're a doctor of the mind you can figure this out, but I just thought it was one of those weird things in life that carries on from one's childhood.
Weird indeed!
Does anyone remember the "Let's Pretend" series? I think they were done in the late 70's?
3 comments:
One of the things I like about your paintings, and the painting of a friend that lives near here, is the use of vivid color. The print I bought of Purple Mountain was not vivid, really, but it certainly wasn't dark. I don't like dark movies, music, or art, and I considered your painting a happy painting or else I wouldn't have become attached to it. Happy little mountain... :)
There's too much dark in the world. When there is darkness I don't generally want it represented accurately. Throw in a bit of eccentricity or whimsy to cut the depression. When I watched The Passion of the Christ it affected me for months...I think it's still affecting me. I told my mom I wanted a copy of the movie and she bought it for me for Christmas. I still haven't taken the shrink wrap off. I can only take dark and evil in small doses...they bring out all the dark and sinister stuff in my subconscious that I'd rather leave hidden.
You definitely have a different approach to color but I would never consider it dark. Aside from the psychotic rooster, of course. ;)
Actually, the ballerina is like that and the oranges are but you don't really think of it that way unless you really sit and think about it.
How's my face coming btw?
Actually your use of color is awesome. You are the only artist that I have ever seen where I could look at the pictures for hours. I am still fascinated by the pictures that we have hanging up and stop and look at them. To get an engineer to do that is quite an accomplishment, I think.
The Dad
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