Paintings and Mixed Media on Canvas (Sold) > Older Paintings

Contemporary Mixed Media Painting of a Hopscotch Game on Pavement from childhood, 1973
Ode to Seventy-Three
Acrylic, Gel Medium, Paper, Wood, Mixed Media on Canvas
30 x 30"
2011

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I created this in honor of two things: childhood and the 1970's.
This 30 x 30" "groundscape" is an homage to innocence & the idea of what childhood should be. I watch things change so drastically as I get older and I can't help but to reflect back to some of my fondest memories of childhood. One of my best times was during 7th grade. I didn't have a great childhood & the only happy moments were when I was reading or outside playing with my friends. This piece reflects those happy moments, and it really evokes a strong memory of my first boyfriend, Danny. My sisters and I used to write the names of boys we liked on the wall outside our house. I wrote "Shawn loves Danny" on that wall, and as far as I know, it's still there somewhere. I wrote that on this piece as well - it's near the Bazooka bubblegum.

This is a very textural piece. I poured a layer of gel medium on the substrate to represent concrete, & imprinted my hand & several other items. I let several layers of transparent color seep into the little crevices & valleys I created during this process, & I used graphite and pastel to scrawl names and dates & memories after all the layers were dry. Heavy gel medium secures all the 3-D bits, which consist of a string of beads that I actually used when I played hopscotch at that time. I also included a little plastic VW bug, and pieces of candy that I crafted out of paper clay. This was created using Golden acrylics, self-leveling gel (popsicle), handmade clay candies, paper, gold thread, wooden popsicle stick, metal & plastic bits.

This was an #ArtPrize entry in 2011, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. To see close-up images please go to the ArtPrize site by clicking HERE.

Keywords: hopscotch, childhood, groundscape, pavement, colorful, 3Dart