My entry into the Taos Fall Arts festival held until October 2. Who knows what the future holds? None of us expected an epidemic like COVID. Outer space holds so much promise for life in the future if only we can take care of the planet and ourselves to become a less divisive planet. The promise of a better planet in the universe beckons us all.
Into the Future, oil on canvas, 36 X 36 inches
I was so impressed with Lightman's novel that I felt compelled to put the nebulous concept of time onto canvas. Lightman conjures up so many impressions of time, probably more than I can put onto canvas, but I shall try.
Time, Oil on Canvas, 48 X 48 inches, $6000
Memories of Europe Past, Oil on Canvas, 7 1/2" X 5 1/2" (framed size). $95 USD
This painting was inspired by a bone I found in the pasture behind my house when I lived on the high desert of Nevada. How long it had lain in the soil I will never know nor will I know the history of the animal it had once belonged to. But as I contemplated this bleached bone, I began to wonder about the bones of man. Would there become a time when the bones of man would lie in the soil bleached by the sun with little around them? Nothing more than desolation of the land with whistling winds blowing the sage brush and remnants of the great civilization that had been? 2079 AD is a surrealistic image of what might be, but what I hope will not be. May the earth be vibrant, filled with creativity with people living in peace.
The mysteries of time intrigue me–vestiges of the past surviving time, organicity of the present and its deterioration into the future, and those things surrounding us which are precious regardless of time. This still life represents all. Animal bones and teeth with so many crevices, shapes, peaks, and valleys; fruit here and now, and a charming pottery figure which I purchased 45 years ago in Mexico. All are part of life and time.
Still Life of Time, Oil on gessoed paper, 6" X 4" (Actual size), 12" X 9" (Matted size)
Find this painting on www.EBay.com Click on Art, by Artist, Shroyer
A new painting with a medieval theme. I still can't fathom from where these paintings come. Is it because I love France with its medieval walls, castles, and abbeys? Last year's trip to France included visits to Cistercian abbeys. What glorious architecture! In one of the abbeys closest to Avignon, we happened upon a tour director singing to her tour group so that they could experience the heavenly resonance of sound reverberating under the arches toward the stained glass windows on high. Just like angels soaring toward the light of the stained glass windows. Reaching for the sun and the ether of the place where they resided. Just when I thought nothing could surpass the sound, a young couple standing under the nave began singing in harmony an informal concert of French songs. I can still feel the presence of all those who had walked in medieval times through the cavernous halls.
The Birth of a King, Oil on Paper, 7-1/4" X 4-1/4," $30.00 USD
Contact artist at www.charlotteshroyer.com
Another painting which had its beginning more than 10 years ago when I first visited the Palais des Papes in Avignon, Provence, France. Not only the paintings that have come about since that time, but also the circumstances of visiting Avignon have been almost surreal experiences coming from an unexplainable place.
While living in California, my husband and I decided to make a trip to Europe. The one place we planned to visit was the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. The rest of the trip was planned to happen as it would–-no reservations, no planned itinerary other than a Eurail pass. Bilbao was great–Barcelona seemed like the logical place to spend the night on the return trip. Alas, no rooms in Barcelona! I tried everything I could think of to find a room for the night including finding a way into France. No way to continue to France. Trains had already gone–nothing until the next day. I had visions of sleeping on the hard marble floor of the train station when suddenly one of the clerks with whom I had spoken came running over: "Madame, one possibility." An unexpected train into France, two available seats, another train into Avignon where we arrived at 3:00 AM to find a Hotel Ibis conveniently right next to the station....all worked like clock work almost as if planned including the book on Provence misfiled in the New Age psychology section at the Barnes and Noble store in California. And then the Palais des Papes........
My love affair with Provence and Gothic architecture has continued to this day and there seems to be no chance of its abating any day soon.
Transitions, Oil on Canvas, 32" X27" Framed Size), $1500 USD
Contact artist at: www.charlotteshroyer.com
I felt a strong sense of history as I painted these figures, almost as if I had lived through each of these transitions: woman hidden in the society of the mosque, woman bending her head beholden to the demands made of her, and woman finally emerging into a place where she could begin to express her being in other ways. The doors of light hold hope for new and exciting transitions
The Mexican Modernists of the early 20th century, especially Tamayo, have been among my most revered artists. Mexican passion of these artists painted onto canvas acts as a line and hook to my heart touching something deep within that I cannot explain–much like a primeval force extending its roots from and back into the loam of the earth. Power lines in cultures and between cultures.
I am reminded of Tamayo when I look at the work of Albert Moreno Valdes, a little known Hispanic artist living in LA at the time of his death a few years ago. As with Tamayo, he has captured the passion of the Mayan soul. A few years back on a trip to Santa Barbara I happened into the SB Art Company where I first saw the work of Valdes. I became so mesmerized by the raw power in his drawings that I purchased a piece of his work for my personal collection and have been fascinated even more by his work.
I can only hope to depict passion on canvas as these Mexican artists did.
