Winter Shadow | Winter Light
Winter Shadow | Winter Light
November 21st – January 8th
Pinwheel Gallery
2019 Broadview Rd
Cleveland, OH 44109
Opening Friday November 21
5:30pm-8pm
I’ve been accepted to another group show this year: Winter Shadow | Winter Light. I’m really looking forward to this one because not only is the theme right up my alley, but I’m new to this area and have been wanting to connect with the local art community. I walked into Pinwheel Gallery a few months ago and met the owner, Sarah Raban, who told me about a call for entries. The description is as follows:
Winter Shadow | Winter Light:
Before the shine of electric lights extended the short days, before technology peered into all places we are curious about, before the ability to call out for help was omnipresent in our pockets... When the days got short and the shadows darker and the forest impassable, the imagination built the creatures and monsters that kept the paths empty and quiet in the winter. In this show we will shine a light on them.
I mean, how could I not? I was going to find something in my collections to submit, but then decided to try and start a new painting I had been pondering for quite some time. But then one painting became a dyptich of sorts… a winter shadow and a winter light theme based in German folklore.
Making watercolor paint from Natural Earth Paint pigments - So Lovely!
I had also been wanting to make watercolors from some new natural Earth pigments I had bought awhile ago. I wasn’t sure if I could get these paintings finished in time for the submission deadline, especially since it takes about a week for the pigments to dry in their pans before I could even use them. But I’m so glad I did, these pigments are gorgeous, and I love that they’re naturally and sustainably sourced.
Back to the dyptich… I’ve been wanting to paint a piece about an old German folk character who is a witch-like specter by the name of Frau Perchta. She lurks about around Epiphany and punishes those who didn’t finish their chores by winter. But in digging into her history, I learned so much more about her.
Frau Perchta’s Warning in progress
I wasn’t sure if I had time to complete these paintings in time for the deadline.
The folklore behind this character originates with the Goddess Berchta, aka The White Lady (my Winter Light character!) They are one and the same, two sides of a coin. One glowing ancient glowing deity and her flip side of fear and darkness. I wrote a piece here that explains them more in depth. Needless to say, I was fanning that paint to make a push to get them done in time. And yes, I made the deadline just barely in time.
If you’re around the Cleveland area November 21, stop by the opening and say hello!
