It's late August, and September is peeping through my window letting me know that Old Man December is going to be here, demanding finished work. Deadlines are certainly a good thing but before I get there I always wish I could skip the work and get to the end, only to remember I'd probably miss something really great if I did, so I have to be content to modge-podge the days together. It's actually not so bad, but meanwhile, I'm going to keep working.
My latest discovery, which really is more common sense than anything else, is the art of getting to the center of the Twinkie. You should also know that a Twinkie in this case is a metaphor for an Art Series. I know, a real one would be really amazing about now too, frozen preferably,but we'll have to indulge after I finish up working. Right now, metaphorically speaking, I'm going to address getting to the center of the twinkie: concept.
Karen Spears, Area Chair and Professor of Painting at Eastern Kentucky University once described to me a way in which to focus on one's concept during the early stages of development. She gave the metaphor of solving world peace and starting minutely. Before we can solve the world, we've got to solve the continent, and before that, the nations, and before that, the states/providence's or what have you, and before that the cities, to towns, to individuals. Much like you would write a paper, you should choose your subject, select your topic, and continue to refine it until you have found one detail in which you are able to chew on without being overwhelmed.
If you have been following this blog the last few months, you'll know that I wish to retell the story of
Vasilisa the Fair, or at least address particular points of interest. There are so many good things that can come from this series, that as I sat down to work further than backdrops and cut-outs I asked myself what it was I really wanted to say to my audience.
So how do you get to the center of the twinkie? Start Eating! Hence I sat down and took a bite. It helps to write, or maybe for others it helps to draw, but writing your thoughts about the work really clarifies things and I found so very many parallels with feminism and the development of the female in modern society that I chose it as my center.
Vasilisa the Fair, although a very traditional Russian tale, still resonates with modern American audiences, especially female audiences. Unlike Vasilisa's literary cousin Cinderella who is a passive participant in her deliverance, our heroine is an active individual within her tale. She only meets her love by way of her own perseverance and trust. Unlike many canonized heroines who are left to the ingenuity of their saviors, the fair daughter of a merchant is a blend of strength and femininity-- a very appealing concept for today's females. Within even the fashion world, clothing for women has become more dainty, delicate and reminiscent of glamorous eras when woman were not in the workplace, but today, females are realizing they want equality for all females, while still remaining proud of being feminine without the stereotype of weak, or damsel-in-distress.
Rather interesting isn't it? That old tales still teach us something about the world, hundreds of years later and in a different culture? Now to find a real twinkie...
