Grandmothers Woods Smell Like Fire

Grandmother’s Woods Smell Like Fire

2022, Flashe on translucent Yupo, 12 x 9 inches. © Heather Lee Birdsong.

Completed painting first, followed by images of the work in progress.

Because the polypropylene substrate is translucent and the paint is flat and opaque, I paint on both sides to play with perception. Stuff on the front feels very sharp and closer, stuff on the back remains kind of quiet and slightly fuzzy. I think about this in relation to the psychological phenomenon of dissociation and feelings of “otherness”. I like to simultaneously use flatness and simulated depth, pushing and pulling at traditional American landscape painting (its cloying Romanticism and problematic history as Manifest Destiny propaganda) and the very literal nature of the work as a flat 2D image.

I learned reverse painting techniques on glass from Paul Missal. It’s a funny thing to do, essentially painting in reverse order, but I take a particular pleasure in the challenge.

This painting will make its public debut at Wavelength Space in Chattanooga, TN in April 2023.

So if you know me being in Dream Destinations for Galleru Nucleus was always a, well, dream of mine! A huge thanks as always to Nicki France for inviting me and always being the best curator a girl can work with! I chose to draw Bambi and his mother in what would maybe be a happier time in their lives together, during the first summer of his youth

So, I was very inspired within this piece by Tyrus Wong, Eyvind Earle, and WPA posters from the 30s/40s.

Wong did a ton of concept work and backgrounds for Bambi and I wanted to bring in his sense of color and mood in this piece. I was actually looked to the color palette at the end of the film with all of its warm tones and tried to bring some of that into the illustration. Additionally the softness that Wong created in concept work is something I know my art doesn’t really elicit, but I still wanted to see if I could bring that energy to this

Earle did not work on the film, but he did work the Disney film Sleeping Beauty and because of that I have always associated him with earlier Disney films (even if he had nothing to do with them). His sense of shape and nature is unparalleled and when I went into this I was really inspired by his ability to stack trees so to speak and wanted to attempt that look within my voice and style while paying that homage to him being such a presence in my mind with Disney

And last, WPA posters quite obviously were something I looked to when attempting this piece in their shapes and flat tones. The WPA posters are maybe most famous for the national parks series that so many of us have looked at an enjoyed after all. Those posters in particular, I believe, were done by Chester Don Powell—but please let me know if I am mistaken!

Prints will be available starting on Sunday! The original framed piece that is hung at the gallery is for sale though in person and will also be available online starting on Sunday. Check in with the Gallery Nucleus site to not only get this piece but the works of so many others. The exhibition can be seen in person starting tonight at 5PM at Nucleus in Alhambra, California through January 1st!

RUBBLE OF THE LOTUS, The wrecking ball realm.

Pages 49-53 up on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/posts/75384673

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