Love is the Cure!

My gift to you on Valentine’s Day is Rumi and a painting inspired by his ecstatic poetry. First, the poem. . .

Love is the cure,

for your pain will keep giving birth to more pain

until your eyes constantly exhale love as effortlessly

as your body yields its scent.

acrylic and collage and gel pens on acrylic textured w/c paper, 10 X 11″

In Muse Group this week we painted larger, on 1/2 sheets of watercolor paper (15X22″), in acrylic and then used cropping borders to find the painting “gems” within the borders. Some of us left the painting whole and others (like me) cut it up.

Here’s the painting before carving.

Now I also have an assortment of interesting “remnants” to put together in another painting, which I may share. . . if and when it comes together.

Now enjoy your chocolate and whatever lovemaking of the emotional, carnal, and/or spiritual kind you have in mind for this lovely non-holiday.

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Looking at my life. . .with Rumi

acrylic and tissue paper, screen, lacy rice paper collage on w/c paper 10 X 11″

Inspired by a poem of Rumi and an interest in playing with translucent papers in some way, I folded tissure paper accordian style and wrote a line of Rumi’s poem on each fold, then secured it in a pouch. Oh, just a lot of fun playing with materials on a lovely rainy spring equinox day with my delightful Muse sisters.

Some New Image Transfers

decalcomanie, image transfer, inks and gesson on w/c paper, 10 X 11″

when beauty dwells
in the dark folds of night
Love comes and finds a heart
entangled in tresses
-Jalal ad-Din Rumi

Decalcomanie:  gesso that gets smooshed flat, then makes a pattern a lot like coral.

Image transfer:  two types; the figure of Aphrodite is a dry gel transfer and the Rumi poem is a clear contact paper transfer. Both transfers were added weeks after the initial inks and gesso play underpainting.  I always have a stack of starts ready to add to.  Aphrodite with her long tresses was a lucky find to pair with Rumi’s tresses!

inks, gesso, clear contact paper transfer, stamping, on w/c paper, 10 X 11″

Another fun beginning pulled from the stack and paired with Michaelangelo’s David.  I learned from a student, Ken,in my Muse Group that if you crumple the picture before laying it on the contact paper, you get a distressed look to the transfer – an authentic look for an ancient statue!  This young man is confronting the whirlwind of modern life.  Like my two sons, he’s so ready for it. . .and so not.