COLOR LIGHT ABSTRACTION 1165 (1963)

Commentary by Barbara Bullock-Wilson

For Christmas 2016, I gifted two of my great grandchildren Wynn Bullock calendars. To Cameron, who was nine, I gave the 2017 black-and-white calendar. And to Charlotte, age five, I gave the calendar with her great, great grandfather's Color Light Abstraction images.

Along with the calendars, the gifts included the telling of stories. I told Cam and Charli that each month I would write something about that month's image and that they could write me back about what the image meant to them.

Here is the exchange of emails Charli and I shared for the April image titled Color Light Abstraction 1165 which was made in 1963.

To Charli, my dearest polka dot loving Great Granddaughter –

Do you like to dress up and play make-believe? Do you like to dance like the wind blowing clouds across the sky or like the sea bursting into frothy waves that form a rainbow of color in the sunlight?

When I was your age, I loved to dress up. I had a huge box of play clothes in my closet – ballet costumes all sparkly with sequins, evening gowns layered in taffeta ruffles, hats with feathers and veils, long silk gloves, and beaded purses. I've attached a couple of pictures of me as a young girl all dressed up in some of my finery.

In my closet, I also had a smaller box of sheer scarves, fringed shawls, rolls of intricate laces, and yards of satin, chiffon, organza, and tulle. I would drape myself in these brilliantly colored, beautiful fabrics and swirl, twirl, skip, run, and leap like the wind and the sea. I imagined myself as agile and graceful as a bright bird soaring skyward or as lithe and lovely as a mermaid gliding in a magical, kaleidoscopic sea. This is what Color Light Abstraction 1165 reminds me of. When I look at it, I also see a dazzling dance of color, a glorious aurora (also called aurora borealis), an entrancing underwater world of shimmering lights…

When you look at this image, what does it remind you of? What do you see?

With a dancing heart full of loving light for you - Great GrandBarb

Dear Great GrandBarbara,

I love to dress up, too! I like to pretend to be a princess, a ballerina or an animal! I like to let my imagination run wild! I love to dress up as Princess Ariel (the little mermaid) or Rapunzel, and sometimes I like to dress up as a tiger! On Saturdays I like to dress up as a leopard! I really like the pictures of you in your dress up clothes!

The colorful picture makes me think of a big, big pond! I would like to be a fish in that pond! I would play all day in the waves! I am taking swimming lessons and I like to swim under water.

I miss you and I love you. Charlotte

 
Text © 2018 Barbara Bullock-Wilson. All rights reserved.