Just Visiting

Just Visiting:  Unidentified Flying Object Paintings

“In the morning of April 14, 1561, at daybreak, between 4 and 5 a.m., a dreadful apparition occurred on the sun, and then this was seen in Nuremberg in the city, before the gates and in the country – by many men and women. At first there appeared in the middle of the sun two blood-red semi-circular arcs, just like the moon in its last quarter. And in the sun, above and below and on both sides, the color was blood, there stood a round ball of partly dull, partly black ferrous color. Likewise there stood on both sides and as a torus about the sun such blood-red ones and other balls in large number, about three in a line and four in a square, also some alone. In between these globes there were visible a few blood-red crosses, between which there were blood-red strips, becoming thicker to the rear and in the front malleable like the rods of reed-grass, which were intermingled, among them two big rods, one on the right, the other to the left, and within the small and big rods there were three, also four and more globes.” – Broadsheet news article by Hanns Glaser, letter painter of Nuremberg,  published in Nuremberg, Germany, April 1561

Esther Pearl Watson

Paintings by Esther Pearl Watson

Esther Pearl Watson grew up in various locales around north Texas. Throughout her childhood, her father built large flying saucers out of old auto parts and scraps. At times, this freaked the neighbors out. It was also evidently part of the reason the Watson family moved around so much. She weaves much from this unique upbringing into her complex and stunning paintings. Watson’s attention to light, detail and bustling life of each piece is to the point where I keep finding something new with each return. Plus, y’know, flying saucers. Sometimes I’m so happy to see her work, I about grind my teeth.