erm, if there is a grammatical error in the title, please let me know, because french is not my first, second, or third language... XD

This is the "top half" of a project I've been working on. There is a second painting of a girl that can be placed below this picture (her hair connects with the "root"/trunk of the tree, which is why it looks like it's going off the page), and can also be placed to the left of this picture (the flowers in her hair morph into the petals, which connect to the tree from the left). This week, I've been working on color planning for this painting (series of paintings), and thought to myself: Planning out this step on Marcello's wonderful website will be a good way for me to organize my thoughts and work out the details. So here I am. The theme is supposed to be "Black and white, with red accents" but like everything else in my life, I've been putting too much focus on the reds.

I haven't really decided what to do with the background yet, other than it's going to be predominantly black and white, hopefully with high contrast. Plus, my hand is starting to hurt. So I figure I'll leave it as is for now. :)

My painting does not come from the easel. I prefer to tack the unstretched canvas to the hard wall or the floor. I need the resistance of a hard surface. On the floor I am more at ease. I feel nearer, more part of the painting, since this way I can walk around it, work from the four sides and literally be in the painting. I continue to get further away from the usual painter's tools such as easel, palette, brushes, etc. I prefer sticks, trowels, knives and dripping fluid paint or a heavy impasto with sand, broken glass or other foreign matter added. When I am in my painting, I'm not aware of what I'm doing. It is only after a sort of 'get acquainted' period that I see what I have been about. I have no fear of making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through. It is only when I lose contact with the painting that the result is a mess. Otherwise there is pure harmony, an easy give and take, and the painting comes out well.

I can stand my own ground.

D:

Kidman

does the individual exist? do stored ideas and memories provide us with a false sense of self and separateness?

if you could excise specific parts of your brain, or add to it, would you? which direction would you choose? i am tempted to become a blissful vegetable, tripping out on the happier brain chemicals until i expire. in reality, given the choice i would probably go the other way and become an emotionless processor of information, losing my sense of self to become one with entirety.