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| 'All I love is all that I Allow.' 2017, (plaster, gold) 21 x 18.5 cm framed, Approximately 10 x 15 cm unframed |
I was asked a few months ago to be the selected artist for the month of August as part of the curators choice in the Hunt Museum; the vast majority of the work I have seen by the artists who have taken part have been paintings, even though I am not primarily a painter I thought it would be nice to do something different, away from the 2D format.
Rightly or wrongly I ended up making this hand piece for the exhibit, it would be best displayed on a plinth but because of the area that the curators choice is shown only a hanging piece is suitable, therefore I had a temporary frame made for it.
This piece is drawn from the occult, superstition, and tradition; In my research I was looking at palmistry, and superstitions, traditions about love and marriage, the tradition usually born from the superstition.
The heart line in the palm is highlighted in gold, the journey of this persons love life traveling across one side of the palm to the other with all its breaks, and bumps, leading off the side, ending abruptly. With a line there is a beginning and there is an end.
The ring finger is also highlighted in gold, the third finger on a woman left hand has always been reserved for an engagement or wedding ring, any other is considered unlucky. This tradition arose out of the erroneous belief that an artery runs directly to this finger from the heart.
This hand bears no ring, just the memory of one stained in gold; Gold, the colour of something sacred. Wedding rings are usually made of gold which has supposed magical and curative powers.
This is a relic or a votive, a folk charm used for healing or an offering in fulfilment of a vow.
The title comes from an Iron and Wine song, the lyrics and song are below, take from it what who can.
I hope you will be able to see it in person. As part of this exhibit I will be giving an informal artists talk about my work on the both of August at the Hunt Museum.
The piece framed. As you can see it is changing colour as it continues to dry and resist the wax I polished it with.
It will slowly disintegrate, which is good, it works with the idea of instability in love and relationships.
When the arrogant goddess of love came to steal my shoes
She had a white-hot pistol and a homemade heart tattoo
Singing, "One's to give and one's to take away,
But neither of them will keep you off your knees"
Her children bowed and bolted off the stage
While the lion and the lamb kept fighting for the shade tree
He had a couple of Coke bottles full of gasoline
Singing, "All I love is all that I allow"
And he blew me a kiss off a big burned hand
I nearly choked with smoke and fell down
While the lion and the lamb kept shooting at a tin can
She had a purple heart and mother's milk in a plastic cup
Singing, "One to lay you gently in the grave,
And one's the flag you fold before you go"
When the curtain rose the crowd was blown away
While the lion and the lamb kept fucking in the back row
When the winsome god of war came to set me free
When the gun-shy goddess of love came back to patch things up
