Image of the Week: Computer Girl
© Durga Yael Bernhard
This whimsical piece was commissioned about a decade ago by Hamilton College, along with several other images meant to illustrate the winning essays written by entering freshmen that year. This particular essay was about writing itself – that is, the student's endeavors to be creative while also managing her time. She wrote of childhood associations (the apple pie), family outings (the car), sports, intellectual pursuits, and of course her quirky cat who curled up on top of her monitor while she worked – which back in the early 2000s would have been more like a box.
Hamilton College has an interesting history. Founded in 1793, it was originally named the Hamilton-Oneida Academy, for educating both Oneida Indian children and white settlers who were emigrating to upstate New York after the Revolutionary War. Both George Washington and Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton helped to the found the college, making it one of the oldest in America. Sadly, not too many native American children ended up attending, but Hamilton College still retains a distinguished reputation as a liberal arts school. I was honored to accept this assignment from their publications department.
The juggling act of this student's life suggested the arc of floating objects. The computer is like a geometric anchor that lends structure to the composition. The background is a gradient of rainbow colors – "pieced in" around the objects, as opposed to painting the background first and then adding the objects on top. The latter technique requires thicker, permanent paint such as acrylics or oils, which can be applied in layers. I was using gouache, which is water-soluble and can only be painted in one layer – but lends itself well to fine detail and has a flat, henna-like quality that's delightful. Using gouache also means letting the white of the paper show through, which in a curious way allows the color to breathe. Thinning with water allows for transparency, just like watercolors. Gouache can be thick as mud straight out of the tube, or thin as a gossamer veil floating in the air. A consummate gouache painter is a master at thinning paint to precision.
A few years later I had a cat who broke her leg. She required two surgeries, and there were complications. I was overwhelmed by vet bills. My vet gave me a substantial discount, and I gifted him with this painting in return, framed and ready to hang. He was delighted, and hung it in his waiting room. He did, after all, have a receptionist who sat at a rather chaotic desk, surrounded by paper and coffee cups – and a cat curled up peacefully in the midst of it all, on top of her computer. Those old monitors must have generated some cozy heat.
I've bartered art for many great things in my life, ranging from midwifery fees to physical therapy to dental crowns. This was one of the better barters. I was, and am, extremely grateful.
A good week to all!