Momento Mori

Started on a new painting today. Found this canvas at the recycling center a few days ago. The canvas was in pretty great shape, considering the painting was dated 1987.  I probably should have taken a before picture on the old painting, but I forgot, it was a very pastel land scape....very "80" grandmother chic.

I originally didn't know what I wanted to paint, not wanting to look at the landscape anymore I painted over it with gesso. Five coats later, I had a nice white canvas, except for the texture the from the previous painting.

I don't know why I decided to paint a skull, maybe it was all the momento mori jewelry and victorian post-mortem photos that I've been looking at on Tumblr, or I just feel like nothing right now and need a reminder of my mortality.

Since being unemployed, the idea of "life" has been on my mind.  I will admit, some days are tough, with the disappointments of job searching and the lack there of work in the free-lance world in my industry in Chicago.  I have definitely been left to think, "If I died tomorrow, I have no accomplishments to be remembered by."

So what do I do... I paint, I draw, I wonder where I will be in a few months, and I think of my mortality.