Sadly, my atheist father found it disturbing (once he finally noticed it, which I believe took him about 12 hours). I think he was also afraid of what our friends from NYC (who would be the next visitors to the condo) would think. He took it down and it was relegated to a bedroom closet.Lucky for all of us, my friend Lore taught me about altered books a couple years ago. So I knew just what we had to do. Yesterday afternoon, between a stroll through and around Jean-Talon Market and dinner at Khyber Pass, I set to work altering Jesus. The whole family was skeptical, but after watching me for a bit, Neil and Harper got really excited and started working with me. Dad and Pat helped some, too (Patrick adding a key element; the astronaut in the upper right). Here is the final product, back in the frame and back in its rightful place on the wall.
Here it is before I put it back in the frame. It is hard to make out the astronaut unless you are actually in the room with it, but that's what that whitish blob is just above the head.
There are lots of details to look at up close. For example, the chain of the necklace are words to a song, which Harper wrote out in her nice handwriting. We love it and had such a fun time making it.And here's a cool picture I took of Harper at Khyber Pass. I'm posting it here because she won't let me post it on facebook and she doesn't read this blog.
4 comments:
I think you're going straight to hell for that blasphemy. Or maybe to an art gallery. Either way - how awesome! And even better that the whole family got involved.
(And great picture of Harper - the background looks like it was colored in with a crayon.)
So awesome. I wish I could make out all the details...can't wait to see it in a few weeks! You are a wonder!
Now I finally know what Depeche Mode meant when they sang, your own personal jesus.
I like it. I like it a lot. Are you selling prints?
Certain small inaccuracies need to be cleared up:
(1) It didn't take me 12 hours to notice the original giant portrait, only about 2 or 3.
(2) My initial objection to it stemmed less from atheism than from aethetics – the plain oversized cheesy sentimentalism of the thing! And he looked so reproachful! Totally out of character in our Québécois pleasure palace.
(3) I wasn't afraid of what our NYC friends would think of it, and in fact upon taking it down, I propped it against the wall of the bedroom I knew they'd be using, so that it gazed right at the bed. Not surprisingly, it was they who relegated it to the closet.
But jesus, the altered version is TREMENDOUSLY improved, of museum quality even! I've already spent quite some time gazing at it. I'm honored to have been present at its creation and wouldn't THINK of taking it down now! It belongs!
Great inspiration, Zoë!
Post a Comment