Ultrasound

“Ultrasound” has been an exercise in channeling group creativity through my Facebook page. Almost every idea in its development was contributed by people through comments on photos of the unfinished canvas. I often say that my best work is a result of happy accidents along the way, changes in direction that are inspired by elements of the image as I put them down on canvas. Having others chime in on the series of Rorschach tests that span my process expands the creative input significantly. It’s not that I’m relinquishing control, I still have final say on what gets incorporated, but this way I’m the curator of a much larger pool of ideas that may not necessarily be my own.

It all started with a blob. Someone said it looked like a baseball mitt, so I hollowed it out. Then a couple of folks saw a baby, specifically “baby wrapped in a blanket” and “a baby in the womb.” Another person got a “sound” vibe. So I went with a baby wearing headphones. I decided I wanted the baby-container to echo a madonna-with-child so I manipulated it a bit. A friend had recently bought me flowers, so I had flowers on my mind, then sunflowers. At this point I was wondering whether I should stop before I smothered the baby. I got suggestions for the top left: “A butterfly would look great!” I went to work on the butterfly, eventually deciding I needed a second one. In the end “Ultrasound” was the best name suggested, quite fitting that the process that created the painting was responsible for naming it too.