I am putting together a small group of work to take with me for my upcoming Gallery Talk at the Principle Gallery next month, on September 13th. Among the paintings is this 24″ by 24″ canvas that I am calling Allura. After finishing this piece, it seemed that the moon was the central focus, the tree and landscape holding an attraction for it. I wanted something that described that but was sort of nebulous, not really well defined. What better way to do that than with a word that sounds descriptive and perhaps from a foreign language but has little basis in its meaning.
You see this a lot in automobiles. The Integra. The Elantra. My favorite is the Cadillac SUV, the Escalade. Oh, its a real word in French but it means the scaling of a fortification’s walls with ladders such as in a military attack. I’m not sure how this means anything to the vehicle perceived image.
But the word Allura stuck with me. It had its base in the word allure and that was what I was seeing in it. It was simple and efficient and even a bit elegant. But looking it up just to make sure it didn’t have some other meaning I found that it is an girl’s name used mainly in the 18th and 19th century in England and America.
But even more interesting was that the name’s given definition was Divine Counselor. I liked the name even more with this little bit of info. It seemed to fit as even better for me than the vague word implying the moon’s attraction. I could see the Red Tree here perching itself on that rise of earth and asking for some sort of guidance from the tranquil presence in the night sky.
I feel right with the name Allura now. It sounds like it fits and ultimately, it does…
Redtree Times 