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Still WORKING ON THE SAME PAINTING March 21/25
I started my painting over a month ago and it is still not finished. It is the one I talked about in my last blog post. It is about the Women of Liberia, West Africa who put an end to a bloody, ten year war in that country. They refused to give up and they refused to give in to the
men. Eventually the women prevailed and after a year, a woman was elected President of Liberia. She was the first woman to lead a country in all Africa. These Liberian women have inspired me. I lived in that country for several years when it was a peaceful place.
The painting is large and portrays the man hundreds of women of all walks of life and different religions who banded together to effect change and put an end to a war that was bringing sorrow, rape and murder to their country. I want to enter the painting in an all women's show in May. The deadline is April 23 to submit entries. I am almost finished but I still see many things that need work and change.
Since I am doing black faces I want to make sure that they don't appear stereotypical or in any way racially offensive. It is easy to do and not be aware that what you are portraying is racist. Especially when you are white. I hope I haven't crossed the line. As soon as I consider it finished, I will put it on my website for your opinion.
The next painting I want to do is going to be about the Blue Stockings, the first women's movement. They inspired following generations of women's movements including the Suffrage/ abolitionist movements. The Blue Stockings eventually led to the modern feminist movements of today. I will talk more about this painting when it starts to become a reality. Thanks for listening. Kathleen
In the Beginning I didn't know I was an artist or the art and art history were my passion for the first 50years of my life. I discovered this large thing about myself when I decided to volunteer at the Corcoran Gallery of Art ( still morn Its passing) and sign up for an Art History class at NOVA. A huge window opened up for me. I mean I really loved this stuff. I then began to attend Docent training at the Corcoran and studio art classes along with art history at Northern Va. Community College. I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. Here I was doing something I discovered I absolutely was in love with but I also discovered "Kathleen Norris Stark, person". Pure Joy !
When I was an art student, part time, at the Corcoran , in m yearly 20's I really didn't know what being an artist meant. I was told to fall in love, get married, have babies and then come back and be an artist. It wasn't possible for a woman to do both! ( This was 1962 so take that for what it is worth.) Since a certain handsome young man wanted to marry me and I didn't know I could do both, I chose to get married, have three babies and forget about being an artist.
It wasn't until my youngest baby went off to college, that I started to think about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Then I found my passion, ART, and have never looked back Now I don't say that I am a great artist or even a very good artist. I do say that I love making art and I love sharing it with other people. I love being around those people who also love, love, love art the way I do. I think I would die if I didn't or couldn't make art. So now you know! I am an eccentric, bohemian , crazy81 year old woman who lives to make art and share it.
IF you feel the same way about art as I do, I would love to hear from you. Please look at my website and give me your thought as well. That is all for now. Aug 10, 2023
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