Today, I finished the first project for my History and Theory of Composition class, which was a psychological and/or allegorical self-portrait as one of the seven deadly sins. In the instructions, the word "one" is in caps lock.
And I say/write that, because I'm aware that there is a sexual element in the painting that I decided to do.
My issue is that, almost as soon as I'd read the instructions in the syllabus, I got this exact image in my head.
My self portrait, was me eating into a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, with stacks of them in front of me, waiting for me to bite into them, with my other hand grabbing one of my boobs, closed eyes and a generally pleasurable facial expression.
I think this entry is going to help me kind of organize the way that I want to verbally support my painting when the moment comes for that, on Monday.
Hunger is very prevalent in my life, I am always forseeing or looking forward to the next time that I'm going to eat, thinking about what I'm going to eat and how delicious it's going to be. I'm done with the last meal of the day and the rest of the time, before I go to bed, I think about what I'm going to eat for breakfast and how delicious it's going to be. Lately, and for a while now, I've become anxious in a way that I want to eat although I'm not hungry.
And so, I'm done eating, but I'd be quite happy if I could just be eating all the time.
The aspect of Lust that I wanted to get into the painting also has to do with ingesting, as when I'm physically attracted to somebody, I am much more interested in kissing them than anything else. I want to absorb them through my mouth and ingest them, I don't know much more than that, it's not a cannibal thing, I don't want to ACTUALLY eat them, but somehow have all of them in my mouth. Something like that.
I chose to do it in acrylic paint over paper, although I'm a drawing mayor and our teacher said it was ok for us to draw it. Everything is very specific for me, the colors, the gesture, there's actually other shit that I picture in the background: a pink wall with tiny little details in purple, like little pictures with their respective purple frames, a mirror of sorts with a purple frame. But I had no time or patience for that.br>
The acrylics are quite unforgiving, but I actually really like the strokes being visible, there is that expressionist feel to the painting and I like it. I also like how cartoony she turned out, how the head and hands are super big.
I don't know what it's titled, the term "gluttonous lust" comes to mind sometimes, but I find that extremely boring, so I just refer to it as "the glutton" or "gluttony", none of them are the title, though. Either way, here is one my first assignments, or projects, as the teacher refers to these paintings that we'll have to do throughout the semester with her.
I find myself in the
New York Academy of Art, I'm on the fourth floor, Studio number seven. If you'd like to set up a studio visit, do not hesitate to let me know. Write to me: gabrielahandalarte@gmail.com
You can and should also write to me there if you're interested in buying some of my work, 'cuz it's for sale and stuff.
And also, don't forget my facebook page, which you should like and share with your friends:
Gabriela Handal Arte
