Tuesday 25 September 2007

What do you call a collection of pussies?

The fantasy fanny collection seems to have got properly off the ground now - which I am delighted about! Todate, I have ...........wait for it...............ten ........participants! Yay!! Which makes a good set of paintings, and bodes well for the start of an interesting collection. My plan is for them to be exhibited somewhere - hopefully a gallery will be interested in them, as I would love to see them all shown together. Since this is a celebration of womanhood and the desirability of women, it should be big, bright and beautiful. And I have to make the paintings slightly abstract with a surreal twist otherwise the collection will look something like a gynaecologists convention!


But..... what to call the paintings - I've been thinking about it ever since the idea was first discussed. I've been referring to it as "Pussy portraits" or "Fanny fantasies" but I knew that wouldn't be the finished title as I didn't want the local cat lovers group arriving and being shocked that it wasn't a set of paintings featuring fluffy kittens playing with balls of string. And since the word fanny means something totally different to the English than to Americans, neither did I want an Americans thinking it was of bums! Plus I didn't want the title to particularly have the normal swear words in it, as that would make it seem derogatory - and that is CERTAINLY not my intention. So........ on to other words....... but then there were words that have differing meanings - slits, snatches etc. and I wasn't happy with them either. So - a bit of further investigation has come up with much better words, and included in them is what I consider to be the perfect word - one that is suitably apt for what I am doing........ I love the old words for pussy like coint, coynte, quaint, qwaynt but my favourite of them all is queynte. Queynte is an old English word that is apparently a pun on the word "cunt" and its also from where the word "quim" is derived, and it means "many layered in-folded mystery". How perfect is that????!!!! So the paintings will be anonymous as to the identity of the owner and will be very simply called:"Queynte 1", "Queynte 2", "Queynte 3" etc.


And it's particularly apt regarding the many layered mystery as the point of the paintings is an affirmation of the desirability of women, especially the part that a lot of women may not be wholly comfortable with, and which is normally hidden from the world. I like the idea of calling the whole collection "Shameless" as they will be without shame about their beauty and their power. They know they are desirable, that their lovers want to be there, it's where they accept lovers, and where life starts. And in particular to this, I want the identities of the women to be a secret, so that whilst they are happy to have their pussies on show, the normal recognition of their identities and faces will be the part that's hidden. Regarding the participants, each persons identity will remain a secret unless they wish to tell other people that they have participated, and which one is theirs.

I want to do them as a set of largish paintings of close-ups of fannies. I want them to appear to be abstract paintings, that could hang on a wall and anyone looking at them would think that it’s a nice contemporary painting but then they might think it looks just like a fanny before they get a jolt when they realize that actually it IS close-up of a fanny! I want the images to be brightly coloured, with bold shapes and lines, and they will probably be slightly abstract, and each one will have the surreal twist of the hint of a naked woman drawn amongst the folds. The hidden woman is the reference to everyone having secrets, deep within them, and a reminder of the essence of what I am actually depicting within the painting, even if it does looks abstract.

The finished paintings will be 20 inches by 16 inches, so I’ll need as much detail as possible from the photographs that I will be working from, so that I can fill the painting. And since I have more to paint than I first considered, I will also have to paint them in different colours, or else it'll look too uniform and boring when they are all exhibited together.

Oh, and I have been asked a question today - well , THE QUESTION, actually, the one that I have been expecting form someone at some point. The "Are you going to participate in this, too, Jackie?" question. And my answer? It has to be "Yes". I have to be part of this if its going to be a celebration of women - because how can I not be part of it? But, mine, like the others, will be a secret as to which it is.



So......... now I need to find someone to take some photos for me............... Now, who shall I ask.......???

23 comments:

Vi said...

I was going to suggest female flowers,since you were going to paint them like them! Imagine all the flora fans looking at them!

Jackie Adshead said...

Vi - yes, and maybe that's not a good thing! I hope my title will be enough of a description without people being confused as to what they're seeing!

Sage said...

Sorry Jackie, I have been feeling rather sad as of late and have not been in the mood to re-photograph my "fanny" - but, I am still in on the project and will try again when my mood improves. I cannot wait to see these paintings!

Jackie Adshead said...

Sage - yes, I know you've had problems recently, and I hope you're back on top of the world again soon. I'm delighted to hear you're still interested in the project, and I look forward to receiving your photos when you've had chance to do them. At present I have three to do anyway, so I should have almost completed those more or less by the time you and the other participants have been able to provide your photos.

Like you, I can't wait to see the paintings! (I keep looking at the one I'm currently working on, and love the way it's developing).

Anonymous said...

You know I take all kinds of photography very seriously. Can I help? The images will be yours to keep.

Willsibob said...

What a perfect gallery display this is going to make. Our theatre had an artist exhibition going on in their function room when we went to see a recent play.

So what theatre work would be ideal for having a touring gallery with it... well "The Vagina Monologues" of course!

If you've not been to see it - whatever your gender - it's an eye opener all round - I saw it with Leslie Joesph taking the lead - amazing.

Oh .. and Sage - pussies are beautiful whatever the mood, for an artist the mood will be captured in every stroke.

Remember it's your choice to smile :) it makes you feel better.

Jackie Adshead said...

Hornymaleuk - Thanks for your kind offer, I'll bear it in mind.....

Jackie Adshead said...

Willsibob - You're right! - The Vagina Monologues would be the perfect accompaniment for this collection - and perhaps I could get some celebrity pussies included too!! (I wonder if Leslie Joseph would be interested...?)

And I agree with you regarding both your pieces of advice to Sage.

Sage said...

Thanks for the encouragement, Willsibob! I am already feeling much better and bearing it all over on my blog. ;-)

ronjazz said...

So I'm wondering...someday when you think about doing a series on cocks....mine is quite unique, Jackie...it has character. Personality. It would talk to you....

Oh, what the hell am I doing...lol

Lady in red said...

hes beaten me to it but I was going to suggest HMU as you already are aquainted and he is very keen on photography himself.

DJ Kirkby said...

Such a brillinat choice for titles to your collection of work.

ronjazz said...

Frankly, I call a collection of pussies a great deal of fun... but hey, what do I know....:)

Jackie Adshead said...

Ronjazz - Wow, character, personality AND a talking cock!! What a lucky man you are, Ron!!!! lol. And I'd love to paint it for you......

and .....Oh, I think you know an awful LOT about fun with pussies! :)

Jackie Adshead said...

Lady in Red - Many thanks for your helpful suggestion.

Jackie Adshead said...

DJ Kirkby - Thanks, I'm pleased with the titles too, although its taken me a while to find them.

Lucy Felthouse said...

I did like 'Fantasy Fannies' but as you said it means something different to Americans so wouldn't work... I can't think of anything right now but it would be cool to have something that emphasises the beauty and the variation in women's "bits."

Also like the sound of you doing one with cocks too, that sounds like fun!!

Can't wait to see your finished collection of paintings, I'm sure the perfect name will come to you. Another nice word for a fanny is quim!

Jackie Adshead said...

Lucy - Yeh, I liked "Fantasy Fannies" too, and tend to consider that as the working title, and I also like the word Quim.

And meanwhile, the latest participant has just suggested to me the title "Clitoris Allsorts"......!!!

Indi said...

Been out of the country for a while, just got back, saw alot of pussies while I was away, cute fluffy ones, but miss the real thing though!!

Indi said...

I'll take your photo's for you Jackie, so all you got to do is smile and I'm sure that won't be a problem...!!

Jackie Adshead said...

Indigo - I'm sure you'll soon find the real thing!

Thanks for the offer of taking the photos - but I'm not sure my smile would show, exactly........ :)

Anonymous said...

Could call them 'silk purses' or 'velvet tipped purses'.. just a stab in the dark really, personally I'd call them ' honey pots '..

Jackie Adshead said...

Anonymous - Thanks for your suggestions.