Friday, April 04, 2008

Hand, Heart and Skull

This is a series of three works that I feel are connected. It is like an update of human body paintings I have done in the past, but also about the now. Probably the first interest I had in painting the body was 10 years ago, and I felt that I was somehow revising that work. In those paintings from a decade ago, I worked with depicting parts of the body in fields of black & white. Hands, torsos, hearts and skulls were the majority of the subjects.
So this is also a return to the body after much artwork revolving around energy.

I hope you enjoy the art.


"Hand", Paint and Egg Yolk on Plexiglas, 12 x 8.5 inches, 2008
The first painting was this Hand. I posed for myself. Does it look like my hand?

"Heart of Allah", Paint and Egg Yolk on Plexiglas, 12 x 8.5 inches, 2008
This is the reverse side of the Hand painting. On the heart is an Arabic script for the word Allah.

"Skull of Light", Paint and Egg Yolk on Wood Panel, 12 x 13 inches, 2008
This was the third painting and as I painted I felt an increasing pull toward light. There is a glow around this skull. Praise to the human body!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Steve,
I really like these paintings and the progressions that they seem to hold. There is a quality of softness and life to them that I find really enjoyable. Something about them feels relaxed. :) Good work!

The hand looks kind of like yours... although a little more squat. As I recall your hands are thinner... The heart of Allah :) I know a source for you. And the skull of light... emanation, illumination.

Wondering about the egg? How does this effect your painting?

Steve said...

Hi Sarah,
Yes, about the egg.. I experimented with it like tempura paint. It tints the paint a bit yellow and leaves a nice sheen. It's a real traditional way to paint, using powdered pigments and yolk and water. Applied in thin layers it builds beautiful colors. I used the yolk a little differently.. with pastel and acrylic paint.
Thanks for your comment.
Steve

Unknown said...

Wow these paintings are very nice! I was wondering if I am allowed to use the "Heart of Allah" painting in our Muslim publication newspaper here at UC Berkeley?