Tuesday, December 22, 2009

The birdcage


oil pastel on 8 x 10 paper
Posted by Celeste Bergin at 8:00 PM
Labels: ,

8 comments:

lilasvb said...

nice bird cage, thanks for comments on my blog, i am gonna follow your

December 22, 2009 at 10:42 PM
-Don said...

I'm glad the door is open so that beautiful free spirit can come and go as it pleases... -Don

December 22, 2009 at 10:56 PM
Caio Fernandes said...

you used oil pastel !!! i forgot it exists . i believe i don't think about this material for more than 10 years . i used to like it .
this is a so pretty work !!so delicated !!



merry Christimas Celeste .
and all the good feelings inside your heart in 2010

December 23, 2009 at 4:27 AM
ArtSparker said...

Birdcages are interesting to work with, do you know the Prevert poem

http://inthebloodstream.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/to-paint-the-portrait-of-a-bird-jacques-prevert/

December 23, 2009 at 8:46 AM
Katherine van Schoonhoven said...

Reminds me of Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." Beautiful image and hopeful colors. I have a set of oil pastels, practically new in the box! Maybe I'll get them out and use them!

Merry Christmas!

December 23, 2009 at 8:57 AM
Celeste Bergin said...

thank you lilasvb, Don, Caio, Susan and Kvan! Yes, Susan, the image was prompted by that very poem!

“to paint the portrait of a bird” (Jacques Prevert)

First paint a cage
with an open door
then paint
something pretty
something simple
something beautiful
something useful
for the bird
then place the canvas against a tree
in a garden
in a wood
or in a forest
hide behind the tree
without speaking
without moving …
Sometimes the bird comes quickly
but he can just as well spend long years
before deciding
Don’t get discouraged
wait
wait years if necessary
the swiftness or slowness of the coming
of the bird having no rapport
with the success of the picture
When the bird comes
if he comes
observe the most profound silence
wait till the bird enters the cage
and when he has entered
gently close the door with a brush
then
paint out all the bars one by one
taking care not to touch any of the feathers of the bird
Then paint the portrait of the tree
choosing the most beautiful of its branches
for the bird
paint also the green foliage and the wind’s freshness
the dust of the sun
and the noise of insects in the summer heat
and then wait for the bird to decide to sing
If the bird doesn’t sing
it’s a bad sign
a sign that the painting is bad
but if he sings it’s a good sign
a sign that you can sign
so then so gently you pull out
one of the feathers of the bird
and you write your name in a corner of the picture

December 23, 2009 at 9:02 AM
Roberto Marín said...

hi Celeste, beautiful work.
Merry Christmas and Happy new 2010.
Roberto

December 23, 2009 at 3:45 PM
rob ijbema said...

lovely!
looks like that cage can't keep all that color in
best wishes and inspiration for the new year celeste

December 25, 2009 at 6:57 AM

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