Sister Angelica

I'm not well versed about the various orders of nuns...what they wear.I believe this is the outfit worn by the Daughters of Charity.
When I do have the occaision to see a group of nuns walking together, what I see is not a group of women...but a gathering of forms moving along. Symbols. They ARE their habits...because the style of dress is powerful and unique

So here, the folds, the shading, the textures,the shapes are everything. The identity of the individual person is secondary...a reason for keeping her features indistinct.

I toyed with the idea of using stronger colors but since the subject is, in reality, black and white, the boldest I dared using was white and a combination of Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna.The cross is black.

I decided to use a knife to do the whitest sections because that material seems highly starched and stiff to me and the plastered effect the knife gives seemed appropriate.


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The Rumor

It might not be easy to see....but the whole horizon is on fire.

I entitled the painting The Rumor.....because rumors are said to spread like wildfire.
The single match in the woman's hand is to generate a sense of mystery about what on Earth is going ON in this painting. From 'did she start the fire?' to... 'did she start the rumor?'

That sort of mystery keeps the eye moving around the picture looking looking ....for answers and understanding.

The White Robe

In The Style of Matisse