I was thinking about ideas surrounding 'home' and 'missing home' because I think I do miss home, now that I'm thinking about going home in a month, and the random line 'THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME' dropped into my head and I started to brainstorm in my notebook... playing around with the phrase.... and then I was like, wait a minute, where is this phrase from, why is it so familiar? then I suddenly remembered it was from the wizard of oz (which is curious because I don't even think I watched the original film all the way through, if I even did) (media really finds a way to creep into your subconscious.. cartoons too) when dorothy clicked her ruby slippers (originally silver in the book) three times and said her famous line. Those ruby slippers and light blue socks against the yellow brick road is so iconic and brings about a magical feeling every time I look at the combination. I then looked more into the original book and illustrations, and I loved how W.W. Denslow brought the story to life. Apparently he worked very closely to Baum and made additions to the story that Baum never described (e.g. faces on the gates). A wonderful collaboration.
Another significant realisation was of course the stepping into the land of oz - the transition from the sepia tone to technicolour - imagine the audience when they first saw colour on screen! Anyway, I thought the way dorothy leaves her home and enters the land of oz was something of significance and it made me think of Alice, and when I looked at some scenes of when she was trying to find a way home I incidentally discovered a similar set up - where alice was also entering a world of more colours (to the queen's castle). Then I realised how many of the fairytales/cartoons/films I am inspired by all have the element of going on an adventure then wanting to go home, to something familiar. (peter pan, pinocchio also) and how even though the characters are all children we adults still feel this way sometimes. There's an endless discussion about this topic that I can go on forever about, but in terms of painting I'm thinking of somehow incorporating these ideas into the block painting (that has Something missing - maybe this is it!) since I don't have time to start a new, big piece (though I want to) I finally feel that burst of inspiration that makes me want to do things immediately that I haven't felt in MONTHS, so I am excited. There is such a limited time before the assessment though, days, so I am quite stressed as well. But I hope at the end I can present something I am proud of like in the last assessment.
I also realised the only moomin book I own is about family life... and how he misses having a family. How curious, everything always connects when an idea comes in.
