When they get close enough to see that the "brushstrokes" are actually collaged pieces of fabric, it is fun to observe the surprise in their body language and the looks on their faces! I love being able to lift a viewer's spirits with a gentle reminder that we live in a world of happy discoveries and unexpected delights.
Offering an exciting visual experience to viewers is one way to direct their attention so they "hear" the artist's message. One of the artists I've been inspired by, Georgia O'Keeffe, said she purposefully "shocked" her viewers into noticing beauty by exaggerating the scale.
Pineapple Bud by Georgia O'Keeffe
(Image by (Not Known) Public domain via wiki, Author: Author Not Given) Details Source DMCA
When O'Keeffe was asked by a reporter why she painted such large flowers, she responded,
" A flower is relatively small. Everyone has many associations with a flower - the idea of flowers. You put out your hand to touch the flower -- lean forward to smell it -- maybe touch it with your lips almost without thinking -- or give it to someone to please them. Still -- in a way -- nobody sees a flower -- really -- it is so small -- we haven't time -- and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time. So I said to myself -- 'I'll paint what I see -- what the flower is to me but I'll paint it big and they will be surprised into taking time to look at it -- I will make even busy New Yorkers take time to see what I see of flowers.' Well -- I made you take time to look at what I saw."
Working in surprising and unexpected scale was O'Keeffe's way to put a spotlight on her message. Textile Pointillism is another way to surprise viewers. I use it as an invitation to consider the nuances of story in my art, and I reward viewers who take a closer look by gifting them with tiny details often missed by the casual observer, but which offer additional levels of meaning.
The lower portion of this artwork features a 3-dimensional flap, depicting the main characters of the Oz story. They are seen from the back, as they travel the yellow brick road on their quest to help Dorothy find her way back home.
The terra cotta pendant just above the Oz characters is imprinted with a spiral, a symbol emblematic of the journey, and the clay disc can be infused with sandalwood essential oil by the eventual owner.
Just under the characters' feet (to signify their "under-standing") is a small tassel with a framed image of the Dalai Lama made by the Tibetan Buddhist lamas of the Drepung Loseling Monastery. I purchased the tassel at their White Tara Sand Mandala event at The American Theater in Hampton, VA.
The little silver frame is two-sided, and the image on the reverse is the White Tara, the Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion and healing. The nuggets of turquoise stitched on at the tops of the three tassels were brought back from Tibet by my friend, Nancy.
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