Another from my archives
My son, Chip, and his family (7 of our grandkids) came to Tucson last week for Thanksgiving. They live in Colorado Springs now. While visiting, a few of the grandkids were caught up in this painting I'd done in 1995 of John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliff. Chip and I told them the story behind the painting and I mentioned I had featured it on this blog in 2008. I told them I'd repost it so they could read it when they got home. So here it is. Click image to see a larger version.



"JOHN AND STUART" 1995
16" x 20"
acrylic on canvas
artist: Jenna Millward Corkill

The Art War ~ a friendly competition 
My son, Chip, is also an artist, with a degree in visual communication from the University of Arizona... while he was still in college in 1995, we were both employed by the same company....about 75 employees worked there. One day Chip and I happened to be in the break room at the same time, along with several other employees... everyone knew Chip and I were artists, and on this particular day we were discussing our current art projects... well, this child I'd brought into this world, started talking smack about who was the better artist, me or him!... back and forth it went for a few minutes until someone there suggested we have a little 'art competition' to see who was the best... so a few guidelines were decided along with a deadline and the 'art war' began.

It was decided we had 30 days to paint a 16" x 20" black and white of any dead rock and roll artist... we would then display these 2 paintings in the break room and let all our fellow employees vote for their favorite.

The day of the unveiling was so fun!... I was completely blown away by Chip's painting of Kurt Cobain (seen below) and tickled by his positive reaction to my portrait of John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe... when the votes (60+) were tallied after a few days, Chip was the winner, by one vote!... I teased him that I had voted for him, so it was my vote that won it for him... then he revealed he'd voted for me!... that's my son~son!

My painting was based on an Astrid Kircherr photo taken in 1960... George Harrison was in the original photograph, but he was still alive in 1995. Since this painting could only include deceased rock and roll artists, I had to leave him out of the painting.

 

"CURT COBAIN" 1995
16" x 20"
artist: Chip Cole

If you look closely in the shadowed area of Chip's Kurt Cobain painting, you will see a skull.

Below is a detail of my painting for the competition... I love painting guitars...heck, I just love guitars... look at Stuart's big ole Hofner hollow body bass and John's famous Rickenbacker Capri 325.... I am currently learning to play bass guitar and loving it, but that's a story for another day.

 

click image to see detail



"Time flies, don't wait too long"2005
24" x 60" x 3/4" triptych
Acrylic on canvas
SOLD
Nucaro collection- Clive, IA

In 2005 I played around a lot with large abstracts. This is one of several triptych's I did that year. I don't have any photos of this painting on a flat wall. It is seen above with the left panel hung on a 45° angled wall. Also, large paintings have always photograph a bit distorted anyway, so I don't really have a true representation of what this painting looked like.

This painting is loaded with interesting features, including the feathered 'hourglass', which referenced the painting's title. Click on the image to see a larger version which will help you find the subtle text detail as well as soft feathers in the sky radiating from the center of the hourglass. Instead of sand, the hourglass has water, contrasting the desert landscape. 

At the time I was painting this, my husband Brian, a professional musician (singer and guitar player) was finishing up radiation treatment for vocal chord cancer. It was profoundly on my mind that we can't take for granted.....time. 

I am happy to report that this month marks 5 years of remission. And he proved all the docs wrong who said he'd be lucky to talk again, much less sing. He sings beautifully. His voice is a bit different and he lost some of his range, but there is a richness and soul in his singing now that reflects an appreciation for that which he almost lost completely. 

And his guitar playing while he was going through treatment, unable to speak, was something else again. He still performed every week onstage, and he let his guitar speak for him. It was magic.

On a different note, come the first of the year, I am starting a new painting and art adventure. I've had to create a secondary blog for this. Visit my new blog Millward Studios Fine Art  to see what's in store for me in 2011. And, as always, thanks for visiting today!

 click image to enlarge




"Autumn Fields" 2007
18" X 36"
Acrylic on canvas
SOLD
Private collection- York, PA

Another painting from my archives. Loved the layers of glazed colors on this one! The foreground wheat grass detail was sooooo pretty! Right after I sold this, I missed it. 

Still didn't find my way back into the studio this week. While doing the yard trimming these last two weeks, I discovered our front yard's irrigation system needed to be completely replaced. I do like digging in the dirt, but this was ridiculous. I finished that project yesterday, and hope to find a block of studio time today.

"HARVEST MOON" 2007
20" x 24"
acrylic on canvas
Ronstadt collection, Tucson, AZ

click image to enlarge

"...there's a full moon risin'
Let's go dancin' in the light
We know where the music's playin'
Let's go out and feel the night."~ Neil Young

From my archives..... This painting was the result of just playing with texture on the canvas first, then adding paint in glazed layers.  

I'm still outside diggin' in the dirt and climbing trees... tomorrow's the last day of two long weeks of yardwork, then, finally I can return to my much missed studio.... I simply can't wait!