My third year in Art School I took a design class where we used a similar image and morphed it into many compositions. Waaayy back then the digital capabilities were just beginning and our computer lab in the Art Department at UMASS had some cutting edge equipment. A video camera, yes… a video camera hooked up to a computer would take black and white stills and digitize them with various effects. (I know, I’m old) and those images were used as tools for learning new techniques.
This particular assignment was to take a self portrait and create many images – the final was a large scale oil painting. The self portrait image was taken from the side and my hair is a tree, an apple tree of many colors and in my hand sits an apple. I had forgotten all about this painting until my Mom mentioned it recently. I plucked the apple many years ago – I believe now that the painting was a foreshadowing of my future self and my future in general – how could it not be looking back now?
But, it has taken considerable time for me to find this future. I spent most of my life since college ducking away from many things including my art and my creativity. I never thought that I wanted to be anything but normal, successful, and happy and fade into the background of a regular life. I have not had the courage to find a way to use my talents in a way that makes me not only happy but joyful – in fact, I’ve been a bit chicken.
So I’ve decided to stop ducking and get some pluck. Who’d like to join me?
Until tomorrow.
Jenna
Day 247 was created in watercolor.
How fun that your self portrait of an apple tree would come full circle!