Art by Kath Balamuth

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Mom as Muse of the Masters…. and Me • 2013

Artist’s Statement

“The true artist, the real one, copies the picture of some great master, and follows it out not only with his eyes and hands, but with his heart and soul.” – Anonymous

This series of paintings is about the human figure, learning to see, and honoring my mother. The primary motivation for Mom as Muse of the Masters…. and Me is to find a new method for portraying the figure. Learning to draw the human body is a perennial goal of mine. Using the figure as a subject for drawing and painting improves visual judgment, helps to understand how to tell a story about a person, and can reveal something about the relationship of that person to the environment. An additional incentive is to create a plan to help me become a more thorough observer and skillful artist. Finally, I choose my mother as a subject in order to honor her long life (1919- 2017) and her amazing parenting.

I set parameters which allowed me to choose works from different movements to copy in a small, sometimes cropped format (6X6”) on wood panels using acrylic paint. The second step is to use a photo of my mother and create a larger painting utilizing the style of that artist. The size and substrate of the mother paintings vary. I start by collecting photographs that show my mother at different ages in varying environments alongside a list of artists with dissimilar styles. Most of the artists were practicing during the 20th century. I endeavor to match the date the photo was taken with the time in which the artist was working and choose the environment portrayed in the photos with the scene in each painting. For instance, Chagall painted many wedding scenes, so I chose his work to partner with my mom as a bride. Each artist’s style influenced me to move away from the photographic image and discover many different ways of working. I feel I have a better understanding of these artists and how they worked. And at the same time, I discovered more about myself and my artistic process.

Vermeer

Copy of Girl With the Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer • 6X6″ • Acrylic on Panel

Gladys_Costume

Gladys in Her Dancing Costume • 12X12″ • Acrylic on Panel

Picasso

Copy of Woman with a Mandolin by Pablo Picasso • 6X6″ • Acrylic on Panel

Gladys_Duck

Gladys with a Duck • 30X20″ • Acrylic and Newspaper on Canvas

Chagall

Copy of The Bridal Couple with Eiffel Spride by Marc Chagall • 6X6″ • Acrylic on Panel

Bridal_Couple

The Bridal Couple in Berkeley • 18X18″ • Acrylic on Canvas

Benton

Copy of Susanna and the Elders by Thomas Hart Benton • 6X6″ • Acrylic on Panel

Gladys_Elders

Gladys and the Elders • 20X16″ • Acrylic on Clayboard Panel

DeKooning

Copy of Woman by Willem deKooning • 6X6″ • Acrylic on Panel

Gladys_After_deKooning

Gladys • 24X20″ • Acrylic on Canvas

Diebenkorn

Copy of Seated Figure it Hat by Richard Diebenkorn • 6X6″ • Acrylic on Panel

Gladys&Leta_Pier

Gladys and Leta on Pier • 20X30″ • Acrylic on Canvas

Neel

Copy of The Family by Alice Neel • 6X6″ • Acrylic on Panel

Mother_of_Bride

Mother of the Bride and Family • 24X30″ • Acrylic on Canvas

Katz

Copy of Milly and Sally by Alex Katz • 6X6″ • Acrylic on Panel

Leta_Viola_Gladys

Leta, Viola and Gladys • 20X24″ • Acrylic on Canvas

 

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