Lee Tracy |
RETABLOS: HOW I GOT FROM HERE TO HERE ©2006-2010 Edition of 1 Permanent stages of womanhood: 1. Baby 6.5 x 6.5 2. Darling 7 x 7 3. Brat 9.5 x 8 4. Hostage 8.5 x 6.5 5. Scholar 9.5 x 9.5 6. Gifted 9.5 x 9.5 7. Saint 11 x 8.5 8. Workhorse 11 x 9.5 9. Woman 10.5 x 9.5 Retablos are portable spiritual forms (on wood or metal) of folklore that recall situations, miraculous deeds, or holy imagery in which a particular saint is remembered. They are used in displays, such as shrines or altars, to honor and express devotion or gratitude. I have used the Retablos as instigators, like chapter heads in a book or contemporary avatars, offering distinct voices and experience. My Retablos are vibrantly colored oil paint and gold leaf on aluminum. They grow in size from 6"x 6" to 9.5" x 11" and have holes in the corners so they could be nailed to a structure (like a wall or a box.) Each Retablo depicts a stage in my coming of age story. A stage does not end to make room for the next; each stage remains present and contributes in making up a whole person. The writing that twists around the edges is written in a voice that is appropriate to its stage, things written earlier and left unchanged. Each retablos has a protective fabric pouch and are stored in a 13"x 12"x 4.5" metal file. RETABLOS: HOW I GOT FROM HERE TO HERE 1. Infant: Defining a cosmology I was born into the world just as I had planned it. Not the route intended, but here nonetheless. There was a pink dog with me that seemed to remember our origins. He would whisper "good night," "good morning," and "I love you." He told me he was going to leave me one day and not to be afraid. This I believed. 2. Darling: A childhood story I started to grow. I was pretty and pleasant and played happily. I learned to float across the floor in my socks. I was pure and said pure things. I asked a bald man if he was humpty dumpty. And I took ballet dressed like a bee. I ate an entire watercress sandwich so that I could tour the Mayflower. My audience travels with me. 3. Brat: Expression of universal grievances Eventually, confusion set in. I learned that I was a girl. It pissed me off to find that there were differences. I became devious. In the bathtub, I would hold battles and sink all the ships. I tossed pebbles from the roof and stuck game pieces up my nose. Some people said that they saw horns. My grandmother told me that I was on the right track My grandpa told me not to get pinned down by silly rules. 4. Hostage: Time travel adventures One day I turned like Snow White. I used frills and bows, rings and charms, perfumes and powders. I always felt like a mess. I collected pussiewillows for bouquets that brought spiders inside for the winter. I walked in a blind haze. I ate lots of carrots. No one noticed that I was lost. I thought that I was Eleanor Rigby. 5. Scholar: Theories and positions Stupidity rings in like a hailstorm. I discovered that I did not know much. I read books even though I did not understand it all. I absorbed the words into the marrow of my bones. The elementals were active and possibility was strong. I focused on those that exceeded my expectations. I found all my own answers to all the trick questions. I loved who I was becoming. 6. Mystic: An account of otherworldliness Sadness travels in with the fog. Carrying vultures that buzzed crazily about my head. I moved slowly and worked with them for years. The payoff to the pestering was that they shared their secrets; trials blaze trails, and tears burrow roads. My chin was up so not to choke. I hung on to my ideals. Even when others behave badly. 7. Saint: A declaration of love I saw love in the world and I saw that it was I. Everyone around me was love. Holding tightly to this makes it forever. That is how it all works and why the stars whir. Everyone is forgiving. I love cab drivers and all the gentle ones at the Salvation Army. 8. Workhorse: Statements for visual artworks No arms, no sight. I have lots to do and my sense of touch. I bite off all that I can possibly handle plus more. Everything gets done because time is only an idea. I wear an apron trimmed with pearls from the sea to know there is no beginning. 9. Woman: A finale of becoming Silence roars in quickly. Each thought is a breeze that lifts a lid open. Public privacy joins inside without. Where I am to be and what I am to do is here. There is no need to race or wish. Power passes without attention. Available, yet invisible. Read other book text here. | PAINTING 1991-1995 1996-2000 2001-2005 2006-2010 2011-2014 MINI-SERIES 1990 Peppers, Seeds, and Rotting Vegetables 1996 What I painted when I could not paint 2005 For the Birds 2007 Butterflies are free 2011 The Year The Permafrost Softened WORKS ON PAPER 1988-1989 Chairs 1989-1990 Umbrellas 1991-1998 1997 The Chase 1998 Dismantled Sketchbooks 1999 Ragdale Series 2000-2004 Collage Art 2002 Charcoal 2000-2004 Figure Drawing 2000-2005 Project Art 2000 Spinning Plates 2002 Fan Collages 2001 Screaming In Places Where I Can't Be heard 2004 Wonderscapes 2005-2006 The Story of the Universe 2008 Buddha Was Here 2009 Life On Hold (NFS) 2010-2016 The Demandments (NFS) MIXED MEDIUM 1995-1998 Sectioned panels 1997-1998 White Paintings and Furry Work 1998 Red Dot Series 2001-2009 Wax, Wire, Gold, Globe, and Glass 2001 How Things Pile Up 2002 Retablos, oil on metal OBJECT ART 2002-present Project Items Historic-present Fane Items 1550-1560 Ancestral Figure Drawings INSTALLATION 2002-2016 Paradise 2006 Negative to Positive 2007-present Four walls* 2008 Found 2010-present Teacups for Reading Tea Leaves 2011-present Waterworks* 2000-present My Crates PERFORMATIVE 2004 White Sands 2006 Blue Clouds LIBRARY OF BOOKS 2000-present Painting Inventory Book of Days Whitewash The Ragdale Book Brain Book Ransom Magazine Box of Tears Pocket Full of Cries Europe Mongolia Flower Book Retablos: How I Got From Here to Here The Fane Pamphlet Scroll of Influence The Story of Red Trees Red Trees History Red Trees Chronicle Red Trees Prayerbook Red Trees Kakemono Book of Leaves Elemental Communion Found: Journals from the future Symbol Book Books of Sense Organ Origin The Wedding Program The Wedding Book I Must Go Ladder Book* Book of Stairs* The Studio Visit Playbill* Flower Book 2* ...continued STUDIO PRACTICE Studio 1: Dayton and Blackhawk Studio 2: Hubbard and House Project scouting and on location Works in progress Exhibits, happenings, homes Studio clippings and announcements Artist WORLD RIVERS PROJECT overview World Rivers: Curtain World Rivers: Participants World Rivers: Rivers World Rivers: Cloth Visit the River Log TEXT ARCHIVE Artwork Installation Books * documentation is forthcoming This archive is a creative history spanning two decades. The documentation is comprised of many technological formats ranging from slides, 4x5s, photographs, and straddles the introduction of digital formatting of the time. The goal was to preserve images, whether high or low resolution. |
Lee Tracy |