I've been busy over the last couple of days, most recently working on a new composition for the summer competition of my art group. This year's theme is The Natural World, and after lots of brainstorming I decided to produce a picture of the elements; air, earth, fire and water; an idea that owes something to the cat one shown here in full for the first time.
The picture is a woman made of those elements, and a year or two ago I'd have been happy with that; it gets the idea across, but it doesn't have much feeling or empathy. It looks good, but lacked enough artistic depth. The final piece to the composition came today when I added an atom, a representation of an autistic child painted in a previous painting, but it is also a restatement of the "elements of nature" idea that contrasts with the Greek elements. The addition is tiny, and distant, as far from the fabulous and beautiful woman as an autistic self, but all important and changes the casual display of painting into a work of art.
The cat is now framed. I've got to find a box for it and then post it across the Atlantic to the exhibition organiser. I hope it does well for Art For Shelter Animals.
