It's All About the Layers

Yesterday was the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the summer heat has begun in Santa Fe, NM. Today I am flying to southern Italy to participate in an incredible artist residency called The Sacred Stones of Salento. I will be on the coast of the Ionian Sea, and I will be creating environmental and land-based installations relating to seasons, myths and archetypes. The following blog post is taken from an audio presentation I made as part of my yearlong course called Awakening Your Creative Soul. I have updated it and added some new information for you.

I recently had someone comment that they didn’t understand why I would cover up all the previous layers I had created. I get their confusion because they are looking at a painting and they see other images peeking out and they wonder why I would cover up all the other textures. So let me explain why.

For me as a mixed media artist, the layers are the archeological foundations that the new layers are built upon. When I walk along the ancient trails of the Native American pueblos nearby, I am walking in the footsteps of history. All of the ideas and stories are part of my layers so to speak. These aren’t physical layers, but my painting is inspired and informed by _this history.

I teach an in-person course called Creating History and Mystery. This course is usually taught in Europe and as we walk the cobbled streets that have existed since the days of the Roman Empire, we are absorbing this history. The medieval walled cities and the narrow lanes and ancient structures are still vibrant and alive. When surrounded by this history that is in plain view, I know there is more than what my eye can see. The stories of the people, the sounds of the horses and the carts being drawn over the stones are pulsing just below the surface. I can sense a presence and almost hear the ancient songs and see the dances, smell the food. This is the history that is the mystery. How do I embed this in my paintings? How does this influence an abstract painting?

Yesterday I saw that the site in Rome called the Sacred Area of Largo di Torre Argentina was opened to the public after being closed for almost a century after being discovered. There are four temples dating to the first centuries B.C. and it is also the site where Caesar was stabbed. The temples were dedicated to Goddesses of Fortune of the present day, the goddess of fertility, the goddess of navigation and the goddess of fountains. What I love is that my hotel last year was across the street from this archeological site. Our windows looked out over the temples that were guarded by cats. The temples are buried below the surface, or rather, the Romans built layer upon layer on top of the preceding eras. Now that is layering! When you are out on your next walk imagine all the history that has happened and is buried below the current layer.

For my art it is all about the layers. I build up textures and colors, layer by layer, letting each one dry and cure to protect it from smearing when the next layer goes on. Even if I only catch a peek, a glimpse of what came before, I know it is there. It is the foundation. I may only see a tiny bit of underlying color, texture or collage, but it tells a story. It adds depth and richness to my painting.

The process of making the collage papers, writing on the surface, embedding a poem and then building on top of the previous layers also tells my story of how I build this painting. I love to begin a piece with either a word or a poem written onto the surface. I am embedding my intention into the painting, and it inspires where I may go even if I have no plan. I write a poem on the surface, listen to a song while painting and add collage pieces of other work. I am creating my story and building depth.

When the intention is set, I spread a nice layer of paint and treat it with some implied texture, alcohol, embossing or something else. This probably doesn’t cover my word entirely, but it adds the next layer. When this is dry, I spread a nice layer of molding paste and gel and gently mix them together to add texture. There may be truth windows, or openings, to show what is below. Then I let this layer dry and continue building the surface and painting with more transparent colors and gels. Remember the truth windows are just like in architecture, they let you see their origins. I find this fascinating, just as I am looking down on the recently unearthed temples from centuries ago as I walk the contemporary bustling streets of Rome.

We are all connected by stories, and I find the layers of my imagination fuel the stories and my art. To simply paint an apple on a table would not satisfy my creativity. I need to make it about so much more, texture, history and meaning. Who picked the apple and why is it just sitting on this rough farm table with a delicate doily underneath it? The history of the story can be told in layers.

What is your story going to say?