February 10, 2010

Aging Woman Hand Carved Lino

I have been busy hand carving this bookmark called "Aging Woman".
 


 
These are some of the proofs.
Proofs are the prints that you do to get the images that you finally settle on.
 
  
 This is a bookmark about a woman as she ages.
She tries to look young or act young by putting on a mask and putting on a role.
The mask could be literal or figurative.
She feels young, and she can't come to terms with the fact that their is a leak...
It reminds me of our resistance to change that creates a more unreal mask as we age.  Some people do this literally and some do it by "acting as if" they were young and happy....when they are lonely and have not realistically connected  to the dreams that they wanted and the realities they have lived.  Some are so used to playing the part that the mask has become part of the psyche.
We all have to look and see the person we are, the person we would like to be. 
The face we give to the world.
We all feel there is a leak.  We feel young, but our body tells us a different story.
If only we knew what we know today and could begin again.
How we would live differently?

Soon I will have one of these bookmark posted in my ART SWAP, BARTER and TRADE blog. 
 

10 comments:

Lynn Cohen said...

Oh you drew ME!!! LOL
I am that aging woman.
I do do some things to keep me looking younger: eating right; and coloring my hair!
I do feel younger than my years and for me I am lucky my body has not gone into disrepair yet.

So I can be old and still feel young! ;-) I guess I don't leak too much yet. LOL

The fearless threader said...

These are wonderful I love lino prints, such an easy versatile and accesible medium.

Kari said...

This reminds of the quote: "It is never too late to be the person you could have been." Possibly by George Eliot. It is such a powerful message. Your woodcut is also very powerful. xo Kari

the wild magnolia said...

Very intuitive post about aging and the masks we wear to cover the truth of who we are. We even hide from ourselves.

Your bookmark should do very well.

Louise Bird said...

I love the concept of beauty of youth fading with age as the ink on the prints gets thinner and paler. We have been discussing how women appear to become slowly more invisible as they age. Got me thinking again.

Anonymous said...

I love this...so true. You have
written about this so beautifully.
Now I have to think about this some more. Thank you for the inspiration!
: )

Quilt Architect said...

Having 6 comments to open up at once is like a surprise party. I loved all of you showing up at once. Thank you.

So glad that you were able to understand what I was trying to say in words and image.

Louise, that was a powerful observation that the woman was becoming invisible to her self and maybe to others as well.

It is going to be weird growing old while the old are trying to carve out a "young" face. I think just like girls have lost their vision of what is natural because of so many girls being air brushed in magazines and movies...we too are going to lose our definition of what it means to grow old.

And what will our youth think old is suppose to mean? How will they treat us?

I remember a friend telling me that she had a friend that had a boob job done. She could only afford to get one done at a time. As she changed so did her personality. She became a different person.

What a strange world to be living in.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful print and I love the thinking behind your process. I am trying to grow old as naturally as I can - luckily I have a good role model in my own mum who has stuck to being natural and looks all the more beautiful because of it. Thanks for the thoughts this morning.

Sandra said...

Very wise words.
It seems as if one is not allowed to age. I also colour my hear, and often wonder when I will stop doing that, I know a woman in her thirties with greying hair and you know what she doesn't look old. And yes, we must beware of not just dreaming but living our dreams. And yes, masks are everywhere.
Lovely stamp.

Erika C. said...

Wonderful stuff. Can't wait to get your ATC. I love the depth of your thinking!

love,
Erika