Ab Ovo
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Ab Ovo was the final painting in the series, and was the most successful at striking an easy balance between abstraction and narration. I began with broad curving lines, as I did in previous paintings, each stroke of charcoal sure of its destination. The colors nearly chose themselves, and the face between two of the curves appeared like a vision beneath my fingers. The text on the painting is simple, ab ovo is the Latin for 'from the egg', ab origine means 'from the origin', and ab intitio translates to 'from the beginning'. All three phrases - similar in meaning - generate thoughts of the prehistoric past and the origin of human kind. The simple curved lines that join together to make oval shapes, the image of a woman's face reminiscent of a wood carving, and the text, all combine to project a primordial or archaic sensibility. |