Bone Weary

Anne: The piece started as an image, an MRI, for which I had to pay privately in order to see a surgeon, mounted on an 11 inch tall section of a wooden 4X4. This stage was imagined and created quickly.

Laura: I am the second artist to work on this piece.  When I received the artwork from Anne, it had an MRI printed image of a spine, adhered to a section of a fence post. I saw the post as a strong support, solid and structural, but not flexible. From there, spinal rigidity came to mind- what if the back had been fused? I looked into the MRI to see if I could see indications of this but found none. I decided to go forward with the idea of a spine, having had problems with chronic back pain and Osteoporosis for years myself. 

I consulted my Anatomy for Artists book and practiced drawing the human spine in my sketchbook, using contour lines and trying to size up to the scale needed for the post. I created a base layer on one of the sides of the post, using gesso and then collage to add texture, noting how the fence post had manufactured texture in a regulated pattern, still visible in places. I decided to keep it. I drew the spine contour onto the collaged surface, liking the contrast between the blurred MRI image and the fine definite lines of the contour. Both seemed flexible and complex in contrast to the post. I used more collage from the fine print warnings included with my Osteoporosis medication- bone health can come with side effects.  Finally, I stamped the word PAIN on the surface using a rubber stamp and sent it off to Sheila Nourse for the next contribution.

Loretta: When I received this piece from Sheila, it held a clear message of back pain. At the same time, thinking of the artists in our group, I felt that resilience and healing were also part of the pain experiences we’ve all endured, and wanted to add that element as well. The textured vertical marks in the wooden block evoked falling rain, which prompted the image of a woman standing in the rain. The curved line of her back echoes the spinal columns in Anne's MRI and Laura's diagram on other sides. Perhaps the woman is letting the water flow over her to wash away pain and fatigue, facing the sky with a mixture of weariness and relief, and possibly a measure of hope and gratitude. 

I painted the wood with deep blue acrylic paint, used pencil crayons to highlight the "rain" marks, drew the figure with white pastel pencil on tinted handmade paper, and applied it to the wood with glue.