My love of painting birds and their lovely parts merges with the fascination of the romance and mythology associated with them. Icons, messengers and symbols, birds are beautiful and changeable in a thousand different ways.
In my paintings I like to ponder “parts” and see where they might intersect. Human, plant and animal anatomy hold a special interest for me. I especially love organs.The forms are so seductive. The delicate nature of bird anatomy mimics the fragility of life. I see birds as inherently occupying a kind of magical space, so that is how I often depict them in my paintings.
“Crevice” – Ink and watercolor on paper – 9″ x 10″
The poet, R.M. Rilke once pondered whether all art was not simply an act of profound remembrance. As humans, we yearn to elevate our ordinary experiences into something less ordinary, something that has more weight, something we can set to music. As an artist, I am a hunter and a thief, chasing shadows, stealing light. The images I encounter on a daily basis, both in my mind and my “reality” are flashes of color and form, unusual juxtapositions that seem to want to be connected.
I attempt to layer images visually as we hear sound in our daily lives. Incongruous sounds enter and exit our space without our consent resulting in a tapestry of song that needs no composer. We encounter the world visually in the same way, but mostly in a blur, unconscious and un-awake. I hope to harness the stillness of this moving picture in an effort to arrest and move the viewer in some way.
“Passing Song” – Watercolor, and colored pencil on rice paper, felted wool and substrate – 12″ x14″
Art and poetry for me are ways to preserve these flashes, these images, these insights, so that once captured, perhaps my ‘remembrance’ may become profound for someone else.
To see more of my paintings and read my full essay on birds, please surf here: There’s Something about Birds
Image Credits
All Images Are © Linda Laino
Guest Artist Bio
Linda Laino
Linda Laino is an artist, writer and teacher who has been making art in one form or another for over 35 years. Holding an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University, she enjoys playing with words as much as form and color. Since 2012, she has resided in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico where the surreal atmosphere and sensuous colors have wormed their way into her paintings. She is available for mandala mural commissions. Finding beautiful things on the ground is a favorite pastime.
Blog / Website: Linda Laino Paintings
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