This is Monarch III. Not a very large work, just a little Foundling that came together rather quickly. When working on a piece I noticed I sometimes have what I call “aesthetic blindness”. It seems that when I am focused on what I am doing so intently I can sometimes lose sight of the aesthetic direction, even when it is right in front of me.
The form of this was so butterfly-like that I just figured that this was what the work was meant to be (see before). The weeks went by with this Foundling hanging on the wall, when it started whispering. It wasn’t the kind of whispering that suggested that this was a finished work but more of a kind of nagging that this wasn’t done. That it wasn’t quite right. Perhaps the form was too expected.
So I turned it upside down (see after). Monarch III took on a more dramatic presence. Perhaps because the visual weight was now on top, adding to a kind of contrast to the antler functioning as its tail. It doesn’t say butterfly anymore but it now feels complete. It seems as if it’s even taking flight. And much more unexpected.
Before After
