The Crossed Lives is a small painting on birch bark, maybe 12" high, that I painted in 2005. This is a precious handmade surface that I created by peeling a curl of bark into many thin layers, then pasting them down, layer by layer, on mat board. The reddish-brown inner side of the bark is what I love most, both for its earthy color and perfect mid-tone: dark enough that light colors stand out against it; light enough that dark colors are still clearly visible. The birch bark provides a richness that must usually be built up with paint; here it's merely evoked by allowing the bark to show through. My challenge was to get out of the way, articulate sparingly, and let the surface breathe.
Share this post
Image of the Week: The Crossed Lives
Share this post
The Crossed Lives is a small painting on birch bark, maybe 12" high, that I painted in 2005. This is a precious handmade surface that I created by peeling a curl of bark into many thin layers, then pasting them down, layer by layer, on mat board. The reddish-brown inner side of the bark is what I love most, both for its earthy color and perfect mid-tone: dark enough that light colors stand out against it; light enough that dark colors are still clearly visible. The birch bark provides a richness that must usually be built up with paint; here it's merely evoked by allowing the bark to show through. My challenge was to get out of the way, articulate sparingly, and let the surface breathe.