Acrylic On 16″ x 20 ” Gallery Stretched Canvas.
GYPSY WOMAN
She stands on the tips of her toes
Letting the music ease her woes
Centuries rest within her line
A silken thread strong and fine
Her Gypsy blood courses true
As her dance entrances you
Rhythmic beat of tambourine
Silver coin with twinkling sheen
Turning twisting left then right
Dancing by the campfire light
Gypsy woman of ancient way
Lover at night Mother by day
The road it knows her secret name
Her Gypsy heart will never tame
This painting was my last of 2021 and my first of 2022 having started it on 12/22/2021 and finished it the afternoon of 01/01/2022.
The photo that this painting is based on comes from the National Geographic book “Gypsies Of The World”. This picture has always held a fascination for me. My family migrated from Sacro Monte, which is near Granada, Spain, to Enigen, Germany in 1543 to escape the Spanish Inquisition. My family consists of Artisans, Craftsmen, Healers, etc. and were prime targets.
Romani businesses and skills are passed from one generation to the next. I cannot help, when I look at the photo of the dancer in the café, but think that perhaps my ancestors visited the café and enjoyed a nights entertainment much as the people are doing that I have depicted in my painting.
I have taken liberties with the photograph and have added my own take on the people within the café. I have also included, in the photos on the wall, members of my family as well as the family crest. Most notable is a picture of Berta Hummel also known as Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel. She is a distant cousin of mine and the Artist who inspired the Hummel Figurines.
There are many surprises and a multitude of stories within this painting. I hope you enjoy them all.
-The GYPSY-
“Art must evoke an emotion in order to be art. If it only creates indifference then it is not art, it is garbage!”
