I tried to re-construct the steps that led me to my absorption with palimpsest as a method of composition. The farthest back I can go is circa 2006. I purchased a small condominium in Chicago on Lake Michigan, next to the new Millennium Park. My plan was to fix it up while I sold the one I lived in. Everyone was doing this then.
My son was studying in Barcelona, and I went to visit him for a week. It is a deep pleasure to visit your children and be introduced to a new world through their eyes. We visited a flea market. He went ahead while I stopped to look carefully at some fabric. When I caught up with him, he was holding tiles. Beautiful, hand-made tiles. I bought about 20 and hauled them back to Chicago to use in my next home.
“Verde y Morado” 51GLO XV
Pintado a Mano
I cannot explain what happened next. I started carrying this tile when I made arrangements for flooring (I selected walnut wood floors to match the tile), appliances, (I selected stainless stove, sink and refrigerator,) or paint for the ceilings and floors (I selected only these colors to match the tile: dark brown, blueish green, off warm white and sand. )
Sitting in the living area (there was also a sleeping area), on the shag carpet, I began to see the room as a large canvas. I will make it look old, I thought. Like Barcelona. The pillars at either end of the window walls – antique marble. The window seats over the radiators and air conditioning – painted with a solvent that shrivels paint, leaving it looking like the back of an alligator. The walls – beaten with brushes, stippling tools and rollers until they glowed with a soft white patina,.The boxy kitchen cabinets – green with metallic silver celtic knots lining the edges, and silver mythical beasts stenciled like cave paintings on cabinet doors.
The entire project emerged slowly, giving me about 8 months of freedom. Scribbling, spraying, palpitating, stroking, rubbing, sanding the large surfaces, then refining, slowly adding form and detail. Working big, without limit of frame. I felt liberation settling into mind and body. It was a total departure from my usual botanical painting, which uses medium to small papers, boards or film; focusing on detail in form, proportion and gesture.
Heirloom sweet potatoes, carbon dust on film
As I was finishing up and moving in furniture, the real estate sales manager from the building came to see. She asked whether I might consider selling. I had sold my other condo and was looking forward to being here a while. But then, I was curious. I signed the agreement papers and left to visit my brother in California.
A few days later, I learned that a couple from Amsterdam had made an offer. A good offer. They wanted immediate possession. I only saw it one more time, when I moved out.