On My Drawing Board: surrealism

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Sarah Emma Edmonds II: Transformation/Liberation, FINAL

As I had hoped, I did manage to finish this piece yesterday afternoon and my photographer, Emily Puls, was able to photograph it for me so that now I really do have a professional photograph of it to post, where the colors and values are properly balanced! As is so often the case when I finish a long-term project, at the moment I really can't say how I feel about it -- one time I look at it, I'm very happy with it; the next time I look at it I have many, many doubts and misgivings. It will take some time, I'm sure, for me to see this one somewhat objectively.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Step 11, Sarah Emma Edmonds II: Transformation/Liberation

Just a few additions to the righthand side, trying to give the righthand portion an inviting, peaceful, "beckoning" appearance. (Note my addition to the title of the word "Liberation" - it's a possibility I'm now considering.) I'm just about ready to start doing sometthing with that center woods section now -- I think I have determined a way to start into that portion.

I'm chuckling as I type this because one of my friends told me on Wednesday, after looking at the beginnings of the shrouded figure I have in the lower left hand section, that she thought it looked like a grub. I'm not sure that's all bad -- Sarah was at a pretty low point at that time in her life. How much lower could anyone get than a grub?

What is the "Civil War Chronology Project"?

(formerly called The Civil War 150 Project)

The commemoration of John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), which was held in October of 2009, is widely considered to mark the beginning of the Sesquicentennial -- or 150th -- anniversary of the Civil War era. Over the next five years, many states and local communities will be marking the 150th anniversary of battles and important events that occurred in their areas during that era, and state and local commissions are being established to bring attention to those events.

Since I first began developing my series of images inspired by Civil War-era America and its people, my goal has always been to provide a complement to the images of battle scenes and famous generals focused on by most other Civil War artists. My approach has been to get to know these people in their pre-war identities and culture, and try to move through the War era in a chronological fashion, hoping to gain some sense of what they experienced as the War unfolded and engulfed them. My work can essentially be described as homage to life in the midst of war, but it carries a contemporary sensibility in hopes of encouraging viewers to see parallels between their lives and the lives of Americans gone before us.

The Civil War Chronology Project is the title I have given to the ongoing project I have developed for myself, to chronicle the lesser-known people and events of the Civil War era beginning with the publication of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1852 and continuing through the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in April of 1865. I currently have created more than twenty pieces which were inspired by the incidents and people in the years leading up to, and then including, the First Battle of Manassas (also known as First Bull Run). To view the works created prior to 2010, please visit my website, http://www.civilwarfineart.com/, and specifically, my Beyond the Battlefield gallery page. Since helping viewers establish a more personal connection with the people of the Civil War era is a primary goal of mine, I welcome feedback from my audience. Thank you for viewing! ~~Amy V. Lindenberger