Constitution Hall Mural here in Topeka

I had the opportunity to work on this project this week. I have been spending evenings going down to help finish this project. The lead artist Cally Krallman and notable Governor’s Muse, Don Lambert were great to work with and I believe we did justice to this historic event. I got to spend most of my time working on the Dragoons at the south end of the mural shown here.

Excerpts from the CJ online article concerning the piece:

“The painting began June 19. Krallman and Chris Meinhardt, who is an architect and leads the Friends of the Free State Capitol, did the sketches that volunteers are painting.

On the south end of the mural is the depiction of Col. Edwin Sumner, who led the troops sent by President Franklin Pierce to break up the efforts to write a free-state constitution.

J.P. Root, who was at the convention in Topeka on July 4, 1856, and later was Kansas' first lieutenant governor, recalled Sumner's words:

‘This is the most painful duty of my life, but the president of the United States has ordered it, and I must obey.’

Root went on: ‘At the same time the voice of the 'Old Bull of the Woods,' as he was called on the frontier, trembled with emotion, and the tears in streams ran down his sun-burnt cheeks as he gave the order dispersing the Free State Legislature of Kansas.’

The Friends of the Free State Capitol's goal is to have a site open year-round to publicize Topeka's role in the history of the state and the nation.

‘This is where Kansas got its start,’ Meinhardt said. ‘We should be proud of what our forebears have done.’

TO HELP

Friends of the Free State Capitol welcome donations at P.O. Box 2551, Topeka, 66601.

CELEBRATE

A ceremony for the 150th anniversary of the dispersal of the Free State Legislature and the dedication of the Constitution Hall mural will be at 11 a.m. Monday in the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library rotunda, 1515 S.W. 10th.

To see the whole story:
http://cjonline.com/stories/062806/loc_historicmural.shtml

A little more history from Wikipedia.

‘Constitution Hall’ was the name given to a two-story building at this site, 427- 429 S. Kansas Avenue, Topeka, Shawnee County. In 1855 Free State settlers wrote a territorial constitution (‘Topeka Constitution’) and elected a legislature that met in Topeka to demand the admission of Kansas to the Union as a free state and challenge the fraudulently elected proslavery legislature. The Free State constitution prohibited slavery in the territory. This building became known as the Free State capital. On July 4, 1856, federal dragoons dispersed the Free State legislature when it met in session.

‘Constitution Hall’ served as a center of community activities in Topeka during the Bleeding Kansas period. From 1864 to 1870, the capital of Kansas enclosed old Constitution Hall and extended at each end. The enlarged structure housed all the offices for the state government until a more prestigious capital building (still in use) was constructed.

Untitled (Help me title this one)

Untitled: 24"x30"
Painting: Acrylic on Canvas

Oh, I can't express how much I like this little lady. I think I fell in love with this piece about half way through. Her pose is so relaxed and exudes confidence and stability with self. And there is a bit of sparkle in her eye daring you to cross her and see just how well she can handle the pressure. She even reminds me of a comic book superhero such as Witchblade, Aeon Flux or maybe even Storm.

The biggest problem I have is that I do not have a clue as to what to name her. It is a very common problem among artists and so I'm posting this and maybe you all can help with my naming process. I guess that is what the "interactive" is all about.

While painting her I struggled a bit with the feet. Initially I had more foot and leg showing below the crossing leg and it looked like a strange bit of flesh filling in the bottom. So like a good artist (if it doesn't work fix it) I went back in and completely eliminated the foot, at this point she looked as if she was floating in the air and she had reached the top and was banging her head against the boundary... Not so good. Then I decided to replace the foot, this time curved the toes giving the front foot more character and brought her back down to earth. This simple change made all the difference in the world on the success of this piece.

I think that I'm actually getting a little more comfortable working at this size. The slowness of the drying time is still frustrating at times but I find that working on another piece while waiting or just simply taking a break and looking at it has it's advantages as well.

More Figurative Paintings

Afterglow

Afterglow: 30"x24"
Painting: Acrylic on Canvas

"I'm so happy just to be with you, Just love'n you the way I do." Have you heard or do you remember that little ditty by White Snake? This piece speaks to me of happiness in the moment, not caring about the rest of the world and expecting the happiness to last forever. I think maybe it goes beyond expecting but looking toward the future for happiness as well as in the here and now.

I'm not quite comfortable yet with this particular size of canvas, I so wanted to make large bold strokes and use my entire arm to express this piece. I found that smaller brushes allow for more arm movement and a simulation of working on a larger piece. I am sure it will not take long for me to find my niche working with this limited size.

I handled the background in this piece much like the last one, just exploring the options you might say. I believe it gives it some depth and stabilizes the figure within the space. You will probably see a fluctuation between these backgrounds for a while as it will probably depend on what the piece seems to want.

experimentation is what living as a creator is all about. Each piece begins with the exploration or adventure concept and builds upon itself toward completion. Unlike a scientist, initially I do not always know what the thesis is but eventually it reveals itself. In the end I either successfully have a finished piece or it goes into the rework pile. Either way I've learned something without regret. Enjoying the process of putting brush to surface with what ever result is important and necessary to being a creator which can give you some insight on the divine.

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There You Are

There You Are: 30"x30"
Painting: Acrylic on Canvas

This gem is one of my new June paintings. It resembles the pieces in my Celestial Correspondence series but is much, much smaller. I wanted to challenge myself to paint smaller. The experience was a little frustrating as I missed the full arm brush strokes used in my larger pieces.

I have also changed the way I have been handling my backgrounds by making it lighter and giving a darker base for the figure to lay on. This gives the piece a sense of grounding and is a little more comfortable for the viewer to identify with the figure.

My husband was really uncomfortable with this change and felt that I was moving away from my style. I believe it is just another step in the ongoing experiment that every painting seems to be a part. This makes me think of Stephen King’s Dark Tower Series and how many of his stories throughout his body of work somehow intertwine with the larger storyline. You can see that all of his characters are somehow related which logically they have to because they are all connected through him. This is my story in pictures and somehow all of my paintings reflect some aspect about myself that is a result of continuous research to reveal the human condition and what is sacred about each of us.

This lady reflects the degree of comfort I have recently found in myself. Becoming more comfortable in your own skin is worth more than gold. Of course looking carefully into the eyes you can see I'm not quite there yet but working hard to find the inner peace that comes with age and experience. I am not sure if the eyes are ever watchful and vigilant or full of continued curiosity and wonder about the world. What does the eyes say to you?

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A Recent Biography

Educated at Fort Hays State University, Michelle Leivan has been distinguished as the featured visual artist at the Kansas River Valley Art Fair, Topeka Jazz Festival and has been nominated for the Kansas Governor’s Artist Award. Michelle has participated in one person shows and exhibits at the Manhattan Arts Center, Art Council of Topeka, True Art Gallery and Topeka Performing Arts Center. She has also exhibited in several juried competitions on the internet. Her work is represented in the Ellis County Historical Archives as well as in several corporate and private collections.

Most recently, she has expanded her exploration to the floral form with the challenge of creating an expressive and distinctive womanly style. Her bold pallet and energetic paintings weave philosophical and intuitive compositions for modern contemplation of the sacred feminine. This style has been cultivated by her life long artistic expression through spiritual reflection of everyday experiences and environment. Four of these new sunflower pieces were honored by being selected hang in Kansas Governor Sebelius’ conference room for the second quarter of 2006.

See my website for more.

Opening to the Sun

Opening to the Sun: 24"x24"
Painting: Acrylic on Masonite

This simple tulip was painted plein-air. It opened and finally began to close during the course of my work that day. It was exciting to see the uncomplicated logic behind nature and the little magic that you find when you take the time to truely observe.

You might notice too that this piece is on Masonite it has been a long time since I painted on this kind of hard surface and I was reminded that the paint acts so much different depending on the surface on which it is applied. Fun!


For those who don't know what plein-air is; its a fancy French term which means painting out of doors under natural light with the subject in front of the artist and the piece is usually done in one sitting.

More Floral Paintings