Update March 24, 2012. Early a.m. - Another Miss LoonTrout video added to end of post. New vid includes explanation of the Mayan calendar.
This painting has been around a while, but it keeps getting better:
"Miss LoonTrout Got A Crappy BoobJob,
Mr. & Mrs. CrackPenguin
Pull Their Tired, Old William Tell Routine,
Nanabush Is Alive, And In The World."
It was in storage for a couple years at Definitely Superior Art Gallery in Thunder Bay; then again for the last year, in the back of the studio.
I have been working on new canvases for most of this winter's painting, but lately I got the bug to take another look at some existing works. Nothing is ever done, while it's in the studio.
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My most recent video with Miss LoonTrout; sock puppet interpretation of the Jay Mohr podcast, Mohr Stories #35, and a promo for our upcoming #ZzorhnAndBingoRage show.
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March 2006, old BingoRage studio.
Used papier-mache technique to secure mask to canvas, on 1"x4" boxframe.
This paper cast had one other "brother", that was sold separately , as a wall-hanging, blue clownmask.
It was not as creepy as you might imagine.
First paint on the "Miss LoonTrout..." canvas.
It looks so nice and uncluttered.
Simple.
Nanabush still has two, healthy antlers, strongly attached to his head. This imagery is a recurring motif in my work, taken from rock art and shamanic traditions around the world. The human figure portrayed with horns or a "halo", to denote wisdom and power.
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This next video documents the process of "bead-embroidering" the "ghost" into the early LoonTrout canvas.
By July 2007, all the major parts were in place (except background-fishey, just added).
Irregular concentric rings ripple out from Nanabush, as he strides through our reality, like the ripples in the pond as he strides through the shallows.
The doorway, from which the bead-ghost entered the reality of the painting is much better defined at this point.
The Turtle figure is still prominent, upside-down in the upper right quadrant (under LoonTrout's left wing).
Nanabush's right antler is now busted.
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This is how the canvas looked, as it was displayed at the
DefSup Art Gallery, NOCAA-10 show
(Northwest Ontario Contemporary Aboriginal Artists - 10)
winter 2008-2009.
Very, very bright. I had used a white spray paint to highlight the mask and needed to cover it up with alotta green.
UFO is more dimensional and Nanabush's third eye has appeared.
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This is how the piece looks today, after I have been tweaking it for the last week.
All the characters have gone through visual upgrades.
Turtle is all but completely gone, replaced by a new character, the vertical background fish.
Vertical, background fish arose from a conversation with my friend Toshie and his dreams of surfcasting...
so, it must be a dream-striper.
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The whole painting is a pile of chaos:
Damage by circumstance, bad decisions, survival by chance and the skin of our teeth.
The CrackPenguins are depicted running "their tired, old William Tell routine"; a grim drinking game.
It is based upon the "accidental" shooting of William S. Burroughs wife, down in mexico, famously portrayed in the David Cronenberg film, Naked Lunch.
The "Crack-Penguin" is a personal trickster-figure of mine. You just can't trust a penguin, they're always trying to ingratiate themselves.
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The LoonTrout character cuts quite a figure.
It must have been a strange set of circumstances that allowed the pairing of a Trout and a Loon; natural enemies.
You would think that growing up in a blended household and overcoming certain self-loathings would have innoculated Miss loonTrout from the ravages of advertising...
But, no. She, too, has gone under the knife.
Probably a cutrate, back-alley-type cutter.
The UFO, in the background, now makes more visual sense as it attacks an "old-timey" police car, rather than the little stick figures that I had put there, fleeing, before. Happier UFO, happier artist.
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Nanabush and his advising angels.
There appears to be some sort of moral arguement going on.
Nanabush seems to be in rather high spirits. At least for a trickster, who's had to tear-off his own right antler. Medical reasons, or what?
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This piece is available as a sponsorship opportunity for Spirit Fire Park. We are installing the paper "Sturgeon Mama" statue in the park this summer and would like to build a roof to shelter it from the worst weather, as well as new muralwall infrastructure.
Purchase this sponsorship opportunity for $20 000:
- Receive the "Miss LoonTrout..." canvas, or have it sent to the museum/library/etc. of your choice
- Have a new mural installed at Spirit Fire Park, in your name, your business name or loved one' memory.
- Build a shelter for the "Sturgeon Mama" statue.
Yes. That is a bunch of clams.
If you haven't got it, please spread the word and pass this on to any rich relative or the notorious art patron in your life.
Forward, tweet, blog, pod, etc.
Thanks.
:Eric
"Miss LoonTrout - evolution" video; with Mayan calendar explanation.
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