Let's wrap this up

It seems like I've been working on this forever, but my notion of time is distorted by being still a little under the weather and by having worked on drawings for so long that the complexity of working on a larger scale was surprising. I need to keep sight of the notion that this is a kind of study for the paintings I am planning to make when I can get the large shaped panels cut. I learned (or more accurately, recalled) a lot from doing this, but I am no eager to get to work on more large pieces.

The patience that they require is different from the work I have been doing. I was in too much of a rush when I started this and thought I could work at the tame pace as I have been working. Fortunately, I got the hang of it a little more toward the end and could work without recklessly creating problems for myself. There is one spelling error I have not corrected, but I'm setting it aside for now...

This picture reads:

In reality they all lived in a kind of hieroglyphic world where the real thing was never said or done or even thought but only represented by a series of arbitrary signs

That line, originally written by Edith Wharton, appears in Miles Orville's wonderful book, The Real Thing: Imitation and Authenticity in American Culture, 1880 - 1940, and it seemed to so accurately describe the world I know when I first encountered it about a decade ago. I've wanted to make a painting of that text for some time now, and one of the larger panels will also have it. I am trying to figure out how to title it - usually I title paintings simply After Author's Name (text of quotation). But this one comes from one source via another...will have to come up with something...

I've also been away from Sabbatical Studio for about a week and a half and need to get back over there. There are some drawings near completion there, and I need to set it up for large work. Expect photos...