All over Amsterdam you see the image of three white x’s on a black stripe on a red background. One can’t help but wonder what it means. It looks a bit like a pirate flag. But since I was there I’ve learned that the X’s actually stand for St. Andrew’s crosses. St. Andrew was a fisherman who was martyred on an X-shaped cross in the 1st century AD, which is relevant to Amsterdam as the city’s symbol dates back to 1505 when it was a fishing town and all ships registered in Amsterdam flew this flag. (Thank you to a FB and Instagram friend for clarifying)
The only reason I bring this up now is that those X’s popped up in my art demo in Muse Group on Monday. The lesson was painting on a black painted surface. Interference paints are iridescents that only show up on a dark surface where they seem to throw the light around.
Interference acrylics and collage over black gesso coated w/c paper
Presenting. . . (drum roll) the three X’s!
Not as in X-out or don’t you dare, or wrong times 3
but as in, this is a riddle. . .
What happened when the 3 X’s went for a walk and suddenly found themselves on stage and had to act out a character?
Answer:
One was dressed in bright stripes and struck a fashion model pose
Another was in black and took a defiant stand
And the third shy one was in blue like the background and happy to blend in.
Which one were you?
Interestingly most of the Muse Group students agreed with me that they would prefer to be the one who blends in. But gosh, it’s fun to get a little bit of spotlight every now and then!
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