Flower in Soup Bowl
by M Spadecaller
Title
Flower in Soup Bowl
Artist
M Spadecaller
Medium
Digital Art - Digital & Photographic Art
Description
This humble still life has a lot of personal significance. Many years ago, I visited my father’s showroom in Manhattan. I still recall the splendid pottery imported from Italy and France. My father’s firm wholesaled to the most prestigious retailers in the United States. Hand painted ceramic lamps with spectacular peacocks lit up his showroom. Mounted on the walls were hand painted platters with brilliantly colored roosters and white rabbits. Harvested from the artist’s labor were magnificent ceramic vases with romantic scenes of the French countryside. I marveled at the intricate brush strokes that produced these distinctive designs. Before the fire of the kiln embodied the pottery’s crystalline imagery, the artist’s brush had marked the clay endowing it with its precious value. I asked my father to get a job for me painting pottery. His response was less than encouraging. On that day, I learned that these artisans labored in bleak factories earning no more than what a few American pennies could buy for each piece produced. I was disappointed to learn that from the gifted hands of these poor artisans, only my father’s company flourished.
My college education, my canvasses, and paintbrushes, down to the clothes I wore, were all paid for with the profit derived from the labor of impoverished artists. The comforts of my middle-class life had shielded me from the plight of the poor and the harsh realities of exploitation. The beauty of these unique pieces came from the talented hands of downtrodden artists from France and Italy. It was particularly upsetting for me to learn that my prospects in art did not seem promising. My father explained it like this: “Without my company, their paltry wages would disappear altogether. They are used to poverty over there anyway and without our work they would starve.” It is encouraging to note that his attitudes changed sharply in the years to come. I am pleased to present “Flower in Soup Bowl;” it was created from a photograph of a 70-year-old bowl, which my father imported from France. This hand-painted digital image was Copyrighted in my Florida Studio on 12/3/2020.
Uploaded
December 3rd, 2020
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