Sometimes art has a mind of it's own. This painting has come to life with a history, and a lesson in history. To start with, something I read long time ago comes to mind. It was something like, when the "hand" tries to carry out the imaginations attempt at brush stroke, and the results are not what was wanted. It is because all "matter" resist the human will. Understanding also that your mind is in a constant battle. This may even be news to you, but the right and left hemispheres of your brain do not work well together. When the left side of your brain reads a book, the right side day dreams interfering with the understanding the left is trying to achieve. This battle takes place in everything you do, all day, every day. Now, with the left side of you hardened, straight forward, and unfanciful. The right is colorful, imaginative, and full of flare.
With that said here is the story of "The Plague Doctor". In my mind I had an image of the theater mask with the long pointed nose. The masks seen at the Mardi-Gras, with beads came to mind. How do I get this image out. I drew it on paper, but was never satisfied with the results. I asked the little one here, to do paper-mache. She is 9 years old and knows every thing. She has taught me that the older I get the less I know. Even when she is doing something new, her teacher at school has told her all about it. Patients is not her best trait. I stopped by the Dollar Store on the way home, and bought balloons. Little girls, or a least this little girl loves balloons. Flour, water, and bowl, we started covering our balloons. I cut strips of news paper 1" to 1 1/2" wide for us to use. A "maraca" was the plan for her and making a "mask' was mine. Neither of which have been realized. Hers still sits in my brothers room. He is her grandfather. Mine, as I mentioned, did not conform to my mental eye. I deflated the balloon and cut out shapes, but no mask formed.
After glue in the paper with a glue-gun, and studying it, thinking of what to do. Having a blank canvas I decided to tape it to it. With the rest of the paper-mache from the balloon. I formed the shape of the crown of a skull. With them taped together on the canvas I now just studied it. Looks like a chicken, or a rooster. Thought about getting feathers and making the top like a Africans head dress. A far cry from the mask of the theater. I let this hang on my wall, while I thought about it.
This stayed on my wall quite awhile, changing very little as I thought on it. Instead of getting the bowl of flour and water, to do paper-mache again I just stuck some strips of material into some paint, and put it on. As accidents go this mask is taking the shape of a painting. Unlike the sculptured canvas paintings where I pushed the limits of plaster, and canvas. This is a failed attempt at paper-mache, and still don't know what it is.
Putting some black paint in the place the eyes would go, I looked up "Bird Mask" on the inter-net. Not finding Mardi-Gras, or such, I found "The Plague Doctor". The picture was of a man in a trench coat, a hat, and a whip.
This picture is the only one I found at first, with no true under-standing. The only thing I knew of the plague, was that people died by the thousands from rat do do. I knew Nostradamus lived during this time and did his prophesies, but didn't know about this.
Now, I took a piece of cardboard, cut out a hat shape, and covered it in an old t-shirt. Painting it brown, it made the perfect hat and became an interesting subject to research. Upon researching the plague I found it to have been not just a one time event, but many events. The "Black Death" as it has been called, took place repeatedly over 400 years. Their are even cases of bubonic plague today. This is how art ends up teaching me some thing. Google the plague and you get a lot more images that the one I got.
Before long my friend here, was starting to come to life. I found out that there was a purpose to this strange outfit. "Doc", as I like to call him, was waring a "HAS MAT" suit. They understood that the Plague was contagious. It was a "Hazardous Material" which required a suit for protection. In that moment it all made sense. The red lenses in the glasses were thought to keep out evil. Inside the cone of the wooden nose was incense, herbs, and flowers. To block the stench, of the corpses. The long cain stick to turn the bodies over. Doctors, were covered from head to foot. Scarfs tightly tied, collars turned up, and long leather gloves.
As the Doc. moves threw the night you feel a sense of how things might have been for him, now that you better understand him. Cutting out the bottom of a soda can, wrapping the edges with leather, and a small piece of wood to join them. I made the red glasses. With heavily paint cotton material, made the scarf and shirt. While brown leather, makes the vest with soiled dirty spots on it. Doc. moves threw the dimly lit street.
Yes. This is how the things in the world working against me, and my idea of a mask. My "Right and Left" brain fighting. Having to learn about a subject, I didn't even plan to paint. Turns out with a personality of it own. All of these pictures have been of just one painting, though it takes on many characters. I am once again in awe, of one of my own paintings. This is not the first time a painting surprises me in the way it came to be.
This Painting along with the odd pieces of wood, or rocks I've painted, stand tall. Yes, I have many paintings of people, barns, houses. I have bird houses, wood carvings, spoons. Each new painting just seems to happen, and when it does. They are one of a kind. Just like the walking sticks, they just seem to happen.
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