One doesn't want to delve toooo deeply into old-time Halloween lore -- some of it is downright creepy. But I came across these playful (?) wodewose guys and thought they'd suit my purpose as I launch a new series based on wild beings that enchant us.
It started when my friend Y – she of Budapest fame and the "Anonymus" statue – sent me an image of this poster, which delighted both of us.
It's only been in recent years that I've given thought to whether any of the ladybugs I find in the garden have the same number of spots. (Answer: Not necessarily) Now, I could not get out of my head the variety of these Coccinellidae. Where etymology meets entomology, that's their family name – and there are 5000 varieties of them worldwide.
And thus was born my Beetlemania Series. Before we go any further, you need to understand that there are some discussions that are off-limits for this first painting and any that follow. First, no counting the actual number of spots! Second, no objections on geographic grounds – as to whether the Beetle Beings would actually be found in the same location. Third, no reference to cochineal even though it can be a fascinating subject for artists. The cochineal insect is not even in the ladybug family but still – ordinary human, or insect, decency would leave it out of the conversation. Fourth, and most important, NO reference to that tacky song that made me wince in childhood, "Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home……" If you can't resist, check here, but no singing out loud, please.
Now, to begin. And the first thing is for three team leaders to review the flight plan. Here they are, in three trial runs – the third trial, I decided, the most promising.
It took me an inordinate amount of time to get that far – and farther to this scaled-up starting point:
And then on to laying-in the colours.
Maybe it's time now to introduce the Dramatis Personae. Clockwise from the left standing figure: The Eyed Ladybug, the 15-Spotted Lady Beetle, and the Yellow-Shouldered Lady Bird. (Remember: No counting, no singing).
Here's the final version, first in the Beetlemania Series: "Reviewing the Flight Plan" (copyright 2021).
I'm going to give the last word this time to surrealist Giorgio de Chirico:
"It is essential that the revelation we receive, the conception of an image which embraces a certain thing, which has no sense of itself, which has no subject, which means absolutely nothing from the logical point of view...should speak so strongly in us...that we feel compelled to paint..."
Look closely and see if you can figure out where the flight plan will take us next.
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