Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Being Green

The Dowager Duchess has changed her nails to their autumn shade. It's not Oocha Coocha Bing Bang Bam Alakazy Alakazam (click here) because the Duchess doesn't DO glitter. As a matter of fact, her green nail polish doesn't even have a name. It's simply got a number. And I didn't ask her what it was. I grabbed a shot while we were on Skype Saturday.

MORE NUDITY IN FUENGIROLA.

The Duchess apologized because her nails are now "short." The sculpture studio has reopened on campus for fall semester and the long nails are "very inconvenient" when working with clay. So, she filed them down before applying the new color. When she held up her hands, I couldn't tell the difference.

FOR THE DUCHESS, IT IS EASY BEING GREEN.

The Duchess has worked in both stone and clay (and cardboard; and styrofoam; and wood; and wine bottles — already empty wine bottles; and ...). But she decided a few years ago that it was no longer fun to haul around and chisel away at a 15-pound rock. She gave us one of her early sculptures. A white alabaster piece about 11 inches tall (28 cm).

THE ONLY PIECE IN OUR DUCHESS SCULPTURE COLLECTION... SO FAR.

The Duchess has a free-form work she completed around the same time as our white alabaster. There's a shot of that below. But, there's another beautiful, nearly finished, piece from a few years ago (at the time the Duchess decided she'd had enough of hauling around a 15-pound rock in her tote bag). She doesn't have the elbow grease to polish it and I keep promising to do so. She even said we could have it (after San Geraldo asked if we could have it). We just have to lug it back to Spain. I hope to do so on my next visit and will share a photo once I've done the polishing. That one is also in shades of green. Yes, the Duchess does like green. But I think she selected the stones simply in terms of what she could lift.

GREEN STONE WORK CREATED BY THE DUCHESS YEARS AGO
(WHEN SHE STILL HAULED AND POLISHED).


13 comments:

  1. Not to my taste, but I recognise it being quite a good piece of modern art. Actually, while not to my taste, I rather like it.

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    Replies
    1. Andrew:
      Even more of a compliment to the Duchess that it's not to your taste and you still like it!

      Delete
  2. The DD's sculpture reminds me of Rodin's "Hand of God."

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  3. Artistic talent runs in your family. What expressive pieces of art! Thanks to you and the Duchess for sharing. Would also love to see more of your artwork.

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    Replies
    1. Jo:
      I would also love to see more of mine! Need to get the confidence back.

      Delete
  4. Very nice... I want to reach over and touch, and run my fingers over the shapes and feel the texture... or smoothness... and the warmth or coolness. (Maybe that's why I have to keep my hands locked behind me in art galleries). Oh yeah... I like the green nails as well.

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    Replies
    1. Sharon:
      It's so easy to forget with sculpture that you're not supposed to touch. I like the fact that I can touch these whenever I want.

      Delete
  5. Your mother is very talented! And you have inherited artistic talent of your own, I see. I especially like the last piece. It's so tactile. Even as a photo in a blog I want to touch it.

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    Replies
    1. Krisit:
      She is talented. When we visit, I do find myself touching trying to mold that last piece in my hands. The new one that you'll see soon has that some kind of look/feel.

      Delete
  6. She she looks a broad in the vein of carol channing

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    Replies
    1. John:
      Only the nails (and even then...). Trust me.

      Delete
  7. I love stories about the Duchess. She strikes me as "Warrior Woman' in her way, and the world is better from them.

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