Odessa 1905

Odessa 1905

A clatter of hoof beats, the clang of drawn swords, loud voices in the night. Once more, to leave home, to become strangers in a strange new place. A postcard titled simply Odessa 1905 sparked the inspiration for this piece done on canvas prepped with gesso, cheesecloth and pumice gel. Muted blue, muddied cream and red iron oxide acrylics provide the background for a xerox copy of the torn postcard. Fragments of prayers anchor two corners and a gleaming gold Star of David, a symbol of hope and faith rests in the middle atop a scarlet scrap of cheesecloth.

I was quite pleased with the way the gessoed cheesecloth and splattered acrylic took on the textured look of old walls. The walls of a beloved village, a home, now in memory only.

Available at Open Studios this October.