After the quiet... here is the art... and it is black
- Christine Ong-Dijcks
- May 3
- 3 min read
After the unveiling of the Suns as part of Sun Flair, I've been a bit quiet on the blog. For good reasons of course... as I slipped into creator mode! Just in time for the next Silicon Valley Open Studios.
Black
As the Stones song goes, I felt like I "want it painted black". I'm not sure if it is the chaos in the world that drove me to black, or if it was just the initial Piggy meets Bear painting. Whatever it was that drove me to the black background, I really love it!
Now that I have done maybe 10 or so paintings, I am wondering why I did not do more of these before. The colors really pop and in many of the ones you will see below, the black gives the stories a bit (or a lot) of drama.
Piggy - a whole new series of paintings
The first painting I did in black was the Piggy meets Bear painting. As all of the Piggy paintings, it is a personal story representing my feelings when I first went to the Netherlands. Imagine being in the Netherlands in winter, and seeing all these very tall people going about their business. Everyone all wrapped up in thick winter coats being their practical and efficient selves. And there I was feeling small and wanting to chat, and connect, and be a part of what was going on... but whoa, they all were so big and so busy...
That is how this little piggy felt and I am sure everyone feels that when going to new places. A sense of wonder, anxiety, curiosity, and sometimes awe...
This second painting, Piggy & Bear - Cozy!, represents me finding serenity and comfort in my family. It shows my deep belief and optimism that even though things are sometime scary and crazy, I will find comfort in my family.
And the third one is the closing chapter in the story. It is us dreaming, hoping and supporting each other looking positively beyond in the midst of chaos, and uncertainty in these challenging times.
Bubbles
Inspired by something a little lighter, the balloon museum. Or better, our visit to the Emotion Air exhibit at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. It is so much fun, and there are some amazing exhibits to have fun with. Sound balloons, big balloons, bubbles in black and white, lots of colors, drawing with a balloon. And much more.
As you can see, the black background is here to stay! I just love these colors and depth these spheres bring to the paintings. The black background makes it all really dramatic but also a lot of fun to paint.
These three paintings really made me happy. So much fun to create and a lot of fun to look at. But then, you switch on the news and the bleakness rolls over you again. And that led to the next 3 paintings.
Bernie
I'm sure many of us in the US remember that iconic image of Bernie Sanders sitting on that chair, winter coat on, socially distanced with his mask. I saw some of the rallies, and that inspired me into giving Bernie some punch. Yes, indeed, those are boxing gloves and he is ready!
So there you have it, nine paintings on black background. Different stories, digging into personal experiences, optimistic and fun times, and creating images of hope.
But there is more... and to see the other ones, come to SVOS...
Silicon Valley Open Studios - 2025
Yup, it is on again. SVOS and I am a part of it again. Thanks for the Redwood City Parks & Arts Foundation, we can exhibit and be a part of SVOS again! Just like last year, the space at Red Morton Park is open to a number of talented artists. This year we will have 16 artists at the Community Activity Building selling their art on:
May 10 and May 11 (Mother's Day) between 11am and 5pm both days!
Read all the details on the SVOS website, and go out and visit some of these sites and amazing artists.
See you all at SVOS, where I will bring Bernie, Piggy, and a number of other cool and interesting paintings... and it will be all whimsical at my wall!
See you soon,
Christine
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