Katelyn Alain Painting

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Symbols Symbols Everywhere

New Work in Progress. Very early stages.
48x60" oil on canvas.

I am thinking about symbols of the feminine that come to us in life through repeated appearances whether they be ironic or personal in nature.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Fear of Aging 1

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Hunger for Images?

Yesterday I went to the Milwaukee Art Museum to see 3 contemporary painters talk about a 'Hunger for Images'. It was to coincide with the Francis Bacon exhibition, but I never saw the direct connection.

Plucking artists out of their studios and sticking them on a rigidly formal 'discussion panel' seemed totally ironic. A more open discussion led by the artists would have been more appropriate. The museum curator and director seemed like outdated caricatures of themselves.

However, hearing the artists talk about their paintings and give presentations on their personal work was highly inspiring. I came away thinking about painting as above all an object. I need to pay more attention to the materiality/physicality of the paint. I was especially moved by the words (and paintings!) of Jose Lerma. So...I'm absorbing and processing my thoughts right now, and I'll be posting new and different paintings very soon. I promise.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Happy 2007!

I hope everyone's start to the new year went fabulously well. I can say that my trip through Mexico and Guatemala served as a most relaxing and uplifting brake from my daily life. I'll be back posting paintings soon, but for now..here are a couple pics of me posing with Mayan ruins.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Woman on the Carousel

A Work in Progress.
Very Early stages.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Baby at the Carnival

I've included details and a view of the complete diptych. Elements of this may still change. This oil painting is 48x72 inches with the two panels together.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Girl in a Red Tunic

A girl stood
in a red tunic;
if anyone touched it,
the tunic rustled.

A girl stood
like a little rose:
her face was radiant
and her mouth
in Bloom.

Monday, November 06, 2006

A Mother's Story and a Child's Tale

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Update: Work in Progress

Saturday, October 14, 2006

On the Edge of Creativity

What did I do in the studio today? I stared at two large blank canvases and fiddled with my camera. What else is there to do at the start of a new project but procrastinate? Stay tuned for new paintings.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Wedding Portrait

My older brother was married this weekend on Cape Cod. It was a beautiful weekend on the ocean. This was my gift to them. Two 11x14 oil paintings on wood panels.

These portraits are a departure from my current series and like my 'Myself as Giovanna Tornabuoni' painting, they echo Italian Renaissance wedding portraits.

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Oil Painting : Myself as Giovanna Tornabuoni

This is the oil painting of myself as Giovanna Tornabuoni. It is about the same size as Ghirlandaio's original painting of Giovanna from 1488, but slightly wider. The glazing technique I used offers more luminosity than can be seen here. It also has a sheen that is very difficult to photograph, but I think you get the main idea.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Myself as Giovanna Tornabuoni

Just some role playing with Photoshop. I'm thinking of ideas for a painting project that remarks on 15th century Italian painting. I love the idea of a portrait in profile. So much has been said about the lack of personality in a profile, and the disempowerment of the subject.
"Your gaze hits the side of my face." Did Barbara Kruger coin that one?

Well, if only I was a Florentine patrician girl. Life would have been short and sweet. A life dominated by my power hungry father and my OH so virtuous mother...a marriage...and a sudden, but not unexpected, death in childbirth.