"Rigidity and Flow" - 6x6 inch oil painting
“Rigidity and Flow” original oil painting by Melanie Fenton - 2023
This series of teal and golden paintings was all-encompassing to paint. I have named each of the paintings using two carefully chosen words joined by “and”. As I grappled with how to express the feelings that came up in the making of these paintings I realized that there was a theme of duality; feeling two things at once, seemingly conflicting, but actually not.
I have also paired the following Mary Oliver poem with the series, because I find she is in my head often and her words always just seem to fit.
You are standing at the edge of the woods
You are standing at the edge of the woods
at twilight
when something begins
to sing, like a waterfall
pouring down
through the leaves. It is
the thrush.
And you are just
sinking down into your thoughts,
taking in
the sweetness of it—those chords,
those pursed twirls—when you hear
out of the same twilight
the wildest red outcry. It pitches itself
forward, it flails and scabs
all the surrounding space with such authority
you can’t tell
whether it is crying out on the
scarp of victory, with its hooked foot
dabbed into some creature that now
with snapped spine
lies on the earth—or whether
it is such a struck body itself, saying
goodbye.
The thrush
is silent then, or perhaps
has flown away.
The dark grows darker.
The moon,
in its shining white blouse,
rises.
And whatever that wild cry was
it will always remain a mystery
you have to go home now and live with,
sometimes with the ease of music, and sometimes in silence,
for the rest of your life.
—
Size: 6” x 6” x 1.5”
Medium: Oil paint on gallery wrapped canvas. Initialed on the front, signed and titled on the back. Ready to hang.
*Shipping to US or Canada: select “Small Original Painting” at checkout.
Oil paint takes time to full cure and be ready to safety transport. Please allow 2-3 weeks for me to carefully pack and ship orders and an additional 1-2 weeks for delivery via Canada Post. All orders are shipped with tracking. For more information, and for general questions please see the FAQ.
Contact me directly for inquiries about international shipping.
Copyright: Melanie Fenton retains all rights to the artwork. Artwork may not be resold or reproduced for profit in any way without the artist's written permission.
“Rigidity and Flow” original oil painting by Melanie Fenton - 2023
This series of teal and golden paintings was all-encompassing to paint. I have named each of the paintings using two carefully chosen words joined by “and”. As I grappled with how to express the feelings that came up in the making of these paintings I realized that there was a theme of duality; feeling two things at once, seemingly conflicting, but actually not.
I have also paired the following Mary Oliver poem with the series, because I find she is in my head often and her words always just seem to fit.
You are standing at the edge of the woods
You are standing at the edge of the woods
at twilight
when something begins
to sing, like a waterfall
pouring down
through the leaves. It is
the thrush.
And you are just
sinking down into your thoughts,
taking in
the sweetness of it—those chords,
those pursed twirls—when you hear
out of the same twilight
the wildest red outcry. It pitches itself
forward, it flails and scabs
all the surrounding space with such authority
you can’t tell
whether it is crying out on the
scarp of victory, with its hooked foot
dabbed into some creature that now
with snapped spine
lies on the earth—or whether
it is such a struck body itself, saying
goodbye.
The thrush
is silent then, or perhaps
has flown away.
The dark grows darker.
The moon,
in its shining white blouse,
rises.
And whatever that wild cry was
it will always remain a mystery
you have to go home now and live with,
sometimes with the ease of music, and sometimes in silence,
for the rest of your life.
—
Size: 6” x 6” x 1.5”
Medium: Oil paint on gallery wrapped canvas. Initialed on the front, signed and titled on the back. Ready to hang.
*Shipping to US or Canada: select “Small Original Painting” at checkout.
Oil paint takes time to full cure and be ready to safety transport. Please allow 2-3 weeks for me to carefully pack and ship orders and an additional 1-2 weeks for delivery via Canada Post. All orders are shipped with tracking. For more information, and for general questions please see the FAQ.
Contact me directly for inquiries about international shipping.
Copyright: Melanie Fenton retains all rights to the artwork. Artwork may not be resold or reproduced for profit in any way without the artist's written permission.
“Rigidity and Flow” original oil painting by Melanie Fenton - 2023
This series of teal and golden paintings was all-encompassing to paint. I have named each of the paintings using two carefully chosen words joined by “and”. As I grappled with how to express the feelings that came up in the making of these paintings I realized that there was a theme of duality; feeling two things at once, seemingly conflicting, but actually not.
I have also paired the following Mary Oliver poem with the series, because I find she is in my head often and her words always just seem to fit.
You are standing at the edge of the woods
You are standing at the edge of the woods
at twilight
when something begins
to sing, like a waterfall
pouring down
through the leaves. It is
the thrush.
And you are just
sinking down into your thoughts,
taking in
the sweetness of it—those chords,
those pursed twirls—when you hear
out of the same twilight
the wildest red outcry. It pitches itself
forward, it flails and scabs
all the surrounding space with such authority
you can’t tell
whether it is crying out on the
scarp of victory, with its hooked foot
dabbed into some creature that now
with snapped spine
lies on the earth—or whether
it is such a struck body itself, saying
goodbye.
The thrush
is silent then, or perhaps
has flown away.
The dark grows darker.
The moon,
in its shining white blouse,
rises.
And whatever that wild cry was
it will always remain a mystery
you have to go home now and live with,
sometimes with the ease of music, and sometimes in silence,
for the rest of your life.
—
Size: 6” x 6” x 1.5”
Medium: Oil paint on gallery wrapped canvas. Initialed on the front, signed and titled on the back. Ready to hang.
*Shipping to US or Canada: select “Small Original Painting” at checkout.
Oil paint takes time to full cure and be ready to safety transport. Please allow 2-3 weeks for me to carefully pack and ship orders and an additional 1-2 weeks for delivery via Canada Post. All orders are shipped with tracking. For more information, and for general questions please see the FAQ.
Contact me directly for inquiries about international shipping.
Copyright: Melanie Fenton retains all rights to the artwork. Artwork may not be resold or reproduced for profit in any way without the artist's written permission.