Portrait of a Cat
My latest tile commision was for a portrait of Frida, a Maine Coon Cat. I was given photos showing her as either brown or grey but I was assured she is really grey. I did one drawing on the tile that I really didn't like, so started another. Then decided to paint them both. I was much less constrained painting the tile I had decided was not the final product. That should be a lesson as the client picked the tile (which I showed them before firing) I had decided was merely the backup. I probably felt I could take chances I couldn't with the "real" tile. (Designs and photos are copyright roslyn m wilkins)

Max Ernst, I Hardly Knew Ye
Since I fell down the stairs and sprained my knees almost three weeks ago, I've had some time to watch a lot of NetFlix movies and read books. Although not one to enjoy sedentary activities (is that an oxymoron?), it has been forced upon me to some small degree. As it was necessary to do some serious sofa time one afternoon I popped the "Max Ernst" DVD in the machine and prepared myself to take a nap. Ernst was always one of those painters on the periphery of my consciousness who I never bothered to be interested in. To tell the truth, the first time I did fall asleep in the first half hour, but as my knees needed to be rooted to the spot for a while I decided to try again. Second time the charm. Fully awake, I was intrigued from the get go. Not only did I find myself admiring his artwork, but the man himself led a hugely interesting life on two continents with the requisite array of beautiful and intelligent women falling in love with him. Had I been around at the time I might have done the same (not tooting my own horn as beautiful or intelligent, just for the record!). How did this artist manage to escape my attention all these years? Probably because I put him in the same class as Magritte, an artist who I know had an important influence on the art scene but gives me no or little emotional satisfaction. Not so with Ernst. I was immediately drawn to his work in a decidedly non-cerebral way. The same feeling I get when standing in front of a Van Gogh or one of Hockney's portraits.... it's a very personal experience. I admit, knowing the stories and influences behind the paintings helped my appreciation. Especially his love of the American Southwest which I now clearly see in many of his paintings. Nevertheless, that doesn't always work for me so there has to be something else.
I managed to restrain myself for 24 hours but then I researched all the Max Ernst books on Amazon and decided on "Max Ernst, A Retrospective" published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in conjunction with the 2005 exhibit. Wish I'd been there! This has been my bedtime reading the past few nights. Of course, I can't say I absolutely love every single image in the book, some of his paintings I can't relate to at all. But some I didn't like the first time around are now beginning to grow on me! I like the fact that his work is quite varied. And as he said, "A painter is lost if he finds himself."