Narrative work, the story so far…

This series of extraordinary, strange and intimate characters has over 40 pieces, they each emerged as if from some old myth, folk tale or strange internal narrative. This is why I call them ‘Mythologies’.

But the tales they tell have never been written.

In the reverse to the usual relationship of text and image I began a search for a writer to collaborate with and create text to accompany each picture, to illustrate the images, if you will. The idea is to combine these into a book. My original idea was that this writing, be it a paragraph of prose or a few lines of poetry, will sit opposite the artwork on each page and make a pair to be ‘read’ together.

click images to view in gallery

The Story-World…

The idea is that each piece of text be another ‘moment’ from the images story-world, a suggestion or clue that opens up the narrative to further interpretation rather than attempting to complete, or explain the picture itself. Instead of finished stories I’m looking for writing that echoes or extends the sense of mystery and magical-realism, and may do so without obvious reference to the image itself. It could be specific, detailed, atmospheric or impressionistic.

As people send me their ideas and phrases, they draw out my own words and I feel the pitch, the roll and magnetism of the word collaboration, a force all of it’s own… changing the shape of my intention as it unfolds. Perhaps a preface…

“Word-turns apt in riddle and rhythm to trip and roll the mind causing backtrack, retrace, and circled in so turning, the sentence sense embraced. The way a picture leads the eye, not forward to finality but, with concentric in-conclusions, as a dance that makes sense-of-a-step does so by leading you both too-and-fro and leaving you, not locked, but poised by punctuation.”

If you are interested in this project

Follow the project here and on Instagram @BlancheEllisArt

I plan to exhibit these artworks with the text.

Thanks for stopping by,

Blanche

Update: I am now working in collaboration with the wonderful Ines Ferreira a visual artist, maker of art-books and author of humorous, strange and serious, magic-realist worlds. I entrusted Inez with my family of Mythologies and have read a few of the stories that have thus far emerged. I cannot wait to read more and develop the shape of this series further with Inez.