There is nothing that elicits within me the feeling of hope more than a crisp, freshly constructed, fully stretched, and newly gessod canvas. OMG! It is thrilling. As one puts the stretcher together, places and attaches the cross bars, stretches the canvas and tidies up the corners, then lovingly applies one layer of gesso and then the next - the ideas about what I will do, compose, and paint fill my head: What colours will I apply? What shapes will I make? and What meaning will I bestow upon and inlay into the weaves of this canvas with my brushes and oils?
This canvas is 6' by 4' and is prepped to become a recreation of the typical art academy portraits that most often depicted duly-appointed artists lounging around someone's art studio. Many were done in the 1700 and 1800's like "Charles West Cope’s magnificent Victorian group, "The Council of the Royal Academy", which depicts eminent Royal Academicians selecting the works for the Summer Exhibition of 1875" (http://www.artknowledgenews.com/Portraits_Artists_Royal_Academy_of_Arts.html) or "The Portraits of the Academicians of the Royal Academy" done in 1771-72 (http://www.allartnews.com/yale-center-launches-fall-season-with-premiere-of-zoffany-exhibition-that-re-evaluates-artist/). These usually, if not entirely, included portraits of male artists.
In stark contrast, mine will portray all women artist that have influenced my work and my life as an artist like Daphne Odjig, Betty Goodwin, Vera Frankel, Kathe Kollwitz, Ida Applebroog, Jane Grover and Hanneline Rogeberg to name a few. These are the artists I have learned the most from and whose work has paved the way so that mine has a hope of being recognized as that of a professional artist.
So, here is to hope!
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