Wednesday, May 4, 2011

LIVES PAST - STAGE 2


Close-up view...













Today is the monthly meeting for the Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society.  Our guest speaker/artist will be Ken Landon Buck.

24 comments:

Joan Sandford-Cook said...

Thanks for all the recent poems and contacts with other artists of late. Surprising to see other artists using blackbirds for inspiration (your lovely bag). I think the plan of pommegranates with the skulls is inspirational.Love the scenic format for this unusual piece and the vibrant colours.

Anonymous said...

Kompliment!!!

Liebe Grüße kerstin

mimi t boothby watercolors said...

well, that turned out well. Kind of strange, of course. Nice curious composition. Where's the crow? alas poor Yorick.. :-)

Gillian Mowbray said...

This is truly stunning, Rhonda. The strong shadows really work well and it stood out as 'must comment' on my blogroll. Congrats. x

Teresa Palomar Lois said...

Love the subject (though you didn't doubt about that, right?) and I'm kind of curious about what you are planning for those shadows, you have me glued to this wip already

Christiane Kingsley said...

Beautiful colors and shadows. Very interesting composition. I like it!

Pam Johnson Brickell said...

Love your colors and design.

RH Carpenter said...

Joan, I think a lot of artists use blackbirds in their work - some of us really like those things! ha ha

Thanks, Kerstin, for stopping by and for taking the time to comment.

Mimi, yes, a bit strange, odd, morbid. And I did think about a crow! ha ha

Thanks, Gillian :) Glad it made you look closer.

Thanks so much, Teresa and Christiane!

Sadami said...

Dear Rhonda,
The work is very interesting and I like it. Strong contrast,colours, composition are great. Further, all symbolic subjects : skulls,pomegranate& pink heart(?!). Wow, thank you.
Cheers, Sadami

RH Carpenter said...

Thanks, Pam and Sadami :) Sadami, that's a cherry but I haven't finished it yet - still work to do on this one before it's finished.

Harry Kent said...

I find this a wonderful piece, Rhonda. Not sombre, just serious. Yes, it is about mortality, but it's also about birth.

We see a row of skulls, generations, who have gone before.

We see the pomegranite which echoes the form of the skulls, especially the half that lies like one of the skulls, inverted. It is one that is torn in half. For that's how one opens a pomegranite ... and that's how life opens, and consumes, us.

But then there is the seed. The next generation to come. The seed can only be liberated by the breaking of the fruit.

A philosophical piece with a strange stillness to it. A still life, or a stilled life, or still, a life?

RH Carpenter said...

Harry, you have really delved into this one and found such meat to be chewed!! Thank you so much. I love hearing another's take on what it means, what the work says to them and I'm very pleased with your critique.

JANE MINTER said...

looking very good so far rhonda .. the peeps looked neat framed .

Ann Buckner said...

I found this piece very interesting and like how you have painted it. Very nicely done, Rhonda!

Suzanne McDermott said...

This is really a marvelous piece, Rhonda! In every way, symbolically, compositionally and watercolorally (;-). Bravo!

RH Carpenter said...

Thanks so much, Ann and Suzanne!

Carlos León Salazar said...

Great work!!

RH Carpenter said...

Gracias, Carlos :)

http://carolking.wordpress.com said...

cool painting of the skulls and pomegranates.

RH Carpenter said...

Thanks, Carol. A bit more to do until I can call this one finished but I'll get it done sometime.

Jane said...

I never thought I would say this about skulls, but I love these!! Beautiful work Rhonda.

RH Carpenter said...

Thanks, Jane. Glad you like the painting :)

Nick G. Swift said...

Your paintings remind me of my professor’s series of Ireland
http://www.cudonal.com/3-recent-artwork--2010.html
Beuatful in its simplicity and enjoy the format.
Swift

RH Carpenter said...

Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Nick. I enjoyed seeing your professor's work - the hunger project was very beautiful and thought-provoking.