There are often moments in the process of painting where I'm unsure of the direction I am headed, which makes it wonderful to work on several canvases at the same time as problems I am bumping into on one is often resolved as I work on another. It seems my brain keeps working on each piece even if I don't physically work on them. But this canvas has had me stumped every step of the way. Just when I think I'm moving forward, I take a step back and realize that I'm not. I'm glad that this isn't the case with most of the work I do, but rather a hiccup along the road.
These are the times I pull out previous paintings or, since everything is currently packaged and ready to ship, at photos of previous work to remind myself of what worked and why...is it the colour palette, the contrast, the patterns - not enough repeat or too much - or composition? It's also a good time to flip my canvas to its side or upside down or look at it in a mirror to view it from a different perspective. And if I'm still stuck, I lean it against my studio wall facing away from me, and let it rest for awhile before returning to it once again. Both the flower and the fruit of Baneberry are beautiful, from bright white clusters of flowers to the shiny red berries, though the berries also do come in white and are known as 'doll's eyes'. Because the leaves, roots and berries of this plant are extremely poisonous, its plant name is derived from the word for 'murderer' or 'destroyer'. As little as two berries is believed to cause cardiac arrest or paralysis. The plant was known to the Algonquin people as Black Cohosh and used to treat menstrual cramps, postpartum pain and menopausal anomalies. The Ojibwa people used different parts of the plant during different parts of the season to treat either females or males. The juice of the berries was often used as a poison on the tips of arrows. Occasionally the plant is consumed without apparent harm by animals such as deer, robins, mice and squirrels.
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