There is something really fun watching a piece begin to almost "leap" off a page of paper. This is about 20 x 20 watercolor on Arches cold press. I may crop it into a horizontal piece when it's time to frame.
I haven't done much shading on this yet.
It's fun to notice how randomly the clowns seem to have collected for the photo in such an interesting way. I am also suddenly very aware of their unique faces...and remember being told by a clown that each face is like a copyrighted image for that particular clown. In fact it can actually BE copyrighted.
Egg Register
When a clown joins Clowns International in England, which claims to be the oldest clown society in the world, he can register his individual make-up. An eggshell is decorated as a miniature version of the clown's head and added to the "Egg Gallery" which then acts as sort of clown copyright. There are genres of clown faces based on famous clowns of the past.
In the photo I took it is dark behind them. And I am beginning to think about background now a little. I had originally thought of large stripes behind them...sort of a circus background but I can see the foreground is so busy now with their great costumes that I will probably need a resting place for the eye back there. Another thought I had was to have some printing behind them about the history of clowns...or words that remind us about the history of clowning....words like Buster Keaton, Red Skelton, Emmett Kelley or hobo tramp, bum, mime, bouffon, jester...etc. You can read a really interesting bit about clowning on Wikepedia.
One interesting side issue in the article is a short paragraph about "fear of clowns". It even has a name: Coulrophobia. Interestingly the article points out that where and when you encounter a clown is usually the issue. In a circus or a parade or a party they can be fun. But they can be frightening, especially to younger children if encountered in surprising places. Someone once said, "there is nothing funny about a clown in the moonlight." Fascinating. That is making me think twice about putting a dark background behind these clowns!!!
ps. if you really want to see a funny clown routine and have 6 minutes to spare go here.
As always, thanks for the info about clowns! Didn't know what the fear was called, only that it truly exists - some years ago at a workshop we painted a clown. Mine turned out great and I framed it and hung it - and was surprised how many people were frightened or turned off by it so I took it down. I definitely think you need to paint several clowns - a series - "Clowning Around"?????
ReplyDeleteThere is a real "dark" side to clowning. A lot of movies have been made about that (even Batman had an evil clown). The few people I know who do clowning are all extroverts but they have a side to their personality that shows their vulnerability. Think of the "class clown" who is generally someone covering up feelings of unworthiness. It's a fascinating subject. But all MY clowns are happy, good natured, and confident!!! Still, you probably should not hang a clown painting in a child's room, know what I mean? I can't wait to see and hear the reactions when I frame this one.
ReplyDeleteThanks for showing me how to do this, Sis. xxx Con
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