I saw an open call for art from the City of Boston a week or two ago and thought "Oh hey, I could submit something to that!" Of course I forgot about it until a couple days before the deadline (which is today) SO my only choice was to paint all day yesterday.
I'm slightly interested in maps and VERY interested in parks and the green spaces that cities choose to keep and protect. I never thought I would live in the city this long (September will mark 12 years for me in Boston) and I attribute my continued sanity to the parks and gardens that this city proudly boasts. I have a bigger project involving green spaces simmering in the back of my brain but I started thinking about this back in February when I painted this piece (Jamaica Pond) for the Aviary benefit show.
For this new open call I decided to do a similar piece of the Emerald Necklace which is "...an 1,100-acre (4.5 km2) chain of parks linked by parkways and waterways in Boston and Brookline." (wikipedia)
My piece also includes the Southwest Corridor, Forest Hills Cemetery and the Mass Audubon Boston Nature Center which aren't technically part of the EN but they're nice jewels too and worth including.
Here are some of the steps I took making the painting...
And the finished piece..
Emerald Necklace
Watercolor and Ink on Paper
(16" x 8")
I think this piece (and the Jamaica Pond one) are somewhere between maps and paintings. I had to consult both Curtis and Megan as to whether or not this was truly finished-looking and they both agreed it was. I like the blobbly parks in contrast with the gridded background - a nod to the organic shape of natural spaces in contrast to the more restrained, planned city layout. Or at least that's how I see it.
We'll see if it gets into the show!
xo Sarah
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