What a wonder,
the yards of fine fabrics,
with tiny hooks
or invisible zippers,
tucks and linings
and finishing seams
a work of art.
Some with lace,
some with petticoats
under layered taffeta …
—Shelby Hearon, Hug Dancing
A few weeks ago, my friend Daisy asks me if I’d be willing to give her one of my painted bookmarks to hold the spot in a book by Helen Marie Casey entitled My Dear Girl: The Art of Florence Hosmer in which a portrait of Daisy’s grandmother’s Auntie Ellen is featured, the original framed portrait to this day hanging in their ancestral family home. I am delighted to comply. Daisy selects a bright bookmark from a recent art exploration of mine.
However, behind the scenes, my even greater delight is to set myself the challenge of painting a bookmark that will complement both the cover of My Dear Girl and the portrait of Auntie Ellen.
The challenge opens the door for me to indulge my love of fine fabrics—I will capture Auntie Ellen’s dress! The drape! The subdued sheen! The elegance of the taffeta! I press newly acquired Stabilo watercolor pencils and Bic Intensity metallic pens into service, starting with scribbles and then brushstrokes of plain water.
I end with a gold Posca paint pen, using it to mimic the gilt frame in which Hosmer’s portrait is set.
An utterly engaging and satisfying challenge from start to finish.
2 x 7″ bookmark
watercolor pencil and ink on watercolor paper
abstract design
2023
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