Happy New Year Everyone!!
I finally finished my acrylic painting on canvas: “Legs Like Vines or The Dilemma of Venus.”
December was not an easy month for me, but I have come out of it feeling renewed. This painting is symbolic in some ways of that renewal, and certainly of my commitment to continue making other paintings!
This painting was in some ways an experiment to see if it might work for me to use geometrics and color more boldly in a painting. In some ways I was borrowing from some techniques I used in ceramics–such as making the rug square rather than recede into the background. I believe it really worked!
The painting expresses in many ways the dilemma between the male and female principle, as well as the continued attraction. Women are on the rise despite the outcome of the last election. Yet we continue to be entangled with men, who up until recently have been acting in many ways as our oppressors despite our love for them. It continues to be a tricky situation.
My next step is to finish this other painting I have called “The Music Genie.” My plan is to finish it and then finally connect with some galleries here in the Portland area.
bgarthart.com 
The interconnectedness of the patterns on the carpet and pillow are a great visual representation of the couples unseen energy. I love the symmetry of the couples’ limbs, especially how his legs drape over hers. Are they planets?, are they the seperate hemispheres? You open so many questions with the visual metaphor of the couple, I am thankful to witness your work and find my meaning within yours!
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