"Swansong"- 14x18, oil on canvas
Odette is the tragic heroine in the classical ballet Swan Lake. Odette is a princess turned into a swan by the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart's curse, who wants his evil daughter Odile (the Black Swan) to wrestle the handsome Prince Sigfried's heart away from the gentle Odette. The ballet is a love story of enchantment and tragedy, as only the Prince's undying love can break the curse and free Odette and the other swan maidens of the sorcerer's curse.
When I was artistic director of my ballet company back in the 1990's, we performed a full length Swan Lake 2 or 3 different times. The challenges of staging a ballet of this magnitude on a small company were tremendous, but I was ambitious and the rewards of re-creating the magic of that ballet eventually overshadowed the work that was involved. I painted this scene in memory of the many hours of love I put into the restaging of that ballet !
At any rate, the painting has been hanging in my bedroom for quite a while. Very recently I rec'd a phone call asking me if it was still available. Although I had never had a real inclination to sell it, I could hear in the caller's voice how important the question was. And so I said "yes- the painting was available!" without even knowing why. The caller went on to tell me that she was looking for a 70th birthday gift for her aging mother, who was, of course, a former ballerina! I can't describe how happy I was to know that this painting would literally dance 0ut of my home, and into the home of another former ballerina!
It filled my heart with joy!!!
Ballet, art, and music are all similar passions. When one has an artistic passion, it dictates their lives for that particular season. Luckily for me, I no longer need to do an entrechat quatre in order to fill my passion. To the the new owner of "Swansong", all i can say is Merde! May the passion and memories of all that you once had, stay with you always!
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