via MB
When I was young, I remember my mother used to take us to the dollar store, walk through the aisles with her arms spread and tell us, “You can have anything you want!”
I always instantly gravitated towards these tiny Asian porcelain masks, delicately painted around the eyes with colorful scrolling patterns, dripping lines, or splotchy shapes. In case you couldn’t tell I was definitely that obviously gay kid wearing patterned parachute pants.
What I liked most about these masks is that they were so simple–a smattering of color in a white base. Yet it was that juxtaposition of color confined by white space that made them so beautiful.
And no, this isn’t a racial thing.
The watercolor artwork of New York painter Marion Bolognesi conveys that same idea. Her watercolor pieces have the depth of oil paintings and follow that same design instinct to entrap the color in a sea of white. Typically when I think of watercolors I think of horrible Florida sun-room prints of angelfish nibbling on branches of coral and each other’s asses. Bolognesi’s art transcends that stereotype and gives new life to the watercolor medium.
I give her paintings my highest stamp of approval: They access a fond part of my memory that is buried under years and years of excessive drinking. Anything powerful enough to do that is worth experiencing.
