Melinda Camber Porter

Luminous Bodies is a work of mourning and an exploration of the spiritual and historical forces that continuously vie to originate and then heal the rift between the body and the soul.

Inspired by many religious traditions of mourning, from The Tibetan Book of the Dead to Native American mourning rituals, the series of drawings is, in actuality, a spiritual journey begun by the artist a few days after the death of a loved one. The journey is narrated in drawings and in epigrammatic prose poetry inscribed within the images. There is a strong “documentary” aspect to the work, which attempts to record faithfully the actual process of loss and resurrection of the lover. Memory is revealed to be so much more than mere remembrance. For as the artist recollects the love affair, she re-creates the lover. Memory becomes the sense that gives us access to the existence of a spiritual reality and leads us to the place where the spirit lives, even when the body has disappeared. Though grief propels the imagery forward, the sense of retrieving love and creating love beyond the grip of death infuses these drawings with a luminous joy. In one image the artist writes: “Those that one loves in one’s heart and soul/will always accompany one."

Leo Castelli's praise for the Luminous Bodies series

"The bold, uncompromising originality of Melinda Camber Porter's imagery in the Luminous Bodies series, her exquisite feel for color, her reflective lyrical brushstrokes and translucent washes, reveal her to be a master of both watercolor and pen and ink as well as oil on canvas." –Leo Castelli

• for more information see Luminous Bodies.

• a solo exhibition of Luminous Bodies commences at Oxford University on November 2^nd 2004

• Luminous Bodies are the basis of the short documentary Luminous Journey

click here to view Oils on Canvas	Paintings, Works on Paper • Luminous Bodies • Earthly Fidelity Series • The Frank Series • Chinese Series • Birth Series • Badlands Series • Wedding Series • Journey to Benares Series • Déclarations D'Amour Series
	Luminous Bodies A Series of Works on Paper by Melinda Camber Porter
For L. But You Always Returned, Claiming Me Completely You Find Infinity But You Always Returned, Claiming Me Completely	*Luminous Bodies* is a work of mourning and an exploration of the spiritual and historical forces that continuously vie to originate and then heal the rift between the body and the soul. Inspired by many religious traditions of mourning, from The Tibetan Book of the Dead to Native American mourning rituals, the series of drawings is, in actuality, a spiritual journey begun by the artist a few days after the death of a loved one. The journey is narrated in drawings and in epigrammatic prose poetry inscribed within the images. There is a strong “documentary” aspect to the work, which attempts to record faithfully the actual process of loss and resurrection of the lover. Memory is revealed to be so much more than mere remembrance. For as the artist recollects the love affair, she re-creates the lover. Memory becomes the sense that gives us access to the existence of a spiritual reality and leads us to the place where the spirit lives, even when the body has disappeared. Though grief propels the imagery forward, the sense of retrieving love and creating love beyond the grip of death infuses these drawings with a luminous joy. In one image the artist writes: “Those that one loves in one’s heart and soul/will always accompany one." Leo Castelli's praise for the Luminous Bodies series "The bold, uncompromising originality of Melinda Camber Porter's imagery in the Luminous Bodies series, her exquisite feel for color, her reflective lyrical brushstrokes and translucent washes, reveal her to be a master of both watercolor and pen and ink as well as oil on canvas." –Leo Castelli • for more information see Luminous Bodies. • a solo exhibition of Luminous Bodies commences at Oxford University on November 2^nd 2004 • Luminous Bodies are the basis of the short documentary Luminous Journey
Blood Between Lovers	Earthly Fidelity Series The Earthly Fidelity series comprises over three hundred pen and ink drawings and watercolors (sized approximately 11-1/2 by 9 inches), which the artist commenced a few months after the Luminous Bodies series. The imagery of angels and blood coming between the lovers' bodies depicts the confluent pleasure and pain of addictive love. These works on paper share similar features with the Luminous Bodies series, i.e., short texts and poems are inscribed within the images. This series was executed at the same time as a group of fifty-five poems, also entitled Earthly Fidelity and treating the same themes as explored in the watercolors.
Remembrance of the Resurrection	The Frank Series Fifteen images from the Luminous Bodies series and the Earthly Fidelity series were selected by the artist to illustrate her novel Frank.
The Great Wall, Beijing	Chinese Series Inspired by her trip to Hong Kong and China in 1985, the artist completed a series of watercolors and pen and ink drawings, depicting various landscapes such as the Guilin mountains and the countryside around the Great Wall. This series was composed simultaneously with the artist's novel Floating Boundary but was not intended to illustrate the novel.
Parents Waiting	Birth Series A series of watercolors depicting mothers and newborn babies was created in 1987 and 1988. One of these works on paper, "Parents Waiting," served as the cover for Boat Child, a comedy by Melinda Camber Porter, which was performed at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
	Badlands Series A series of watercolors depicting the elemental landscapes and skies of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and one large oil (which served as the cover to her novel Badlands) were executed during the many journeys the artist has made within South Dakota since 1985. • see Sacred Journey, a documentary focusing on the influence of Native spirituality on the artist’s paintings
Marriage Ritual	Wedding Series A series of somewhat autobiographical watercolors depicting the author's wedding coinciding with her actual marriage in July 1985.
Journey to Benares Passage	Journey to Benares Series The Journey to Benares series of watercolors are the starting point for the rock opera, Journey to Benares (book, lyrics and visuals by Melinda Camber Porter and music, direction and choreography by Elizabeth Swados). This series explores story board concepts, possible backdrops for the set and ritual objects that appear during the action. Later on in the process, these sketches gave way to the large oils on canvas of the Triptych Series which inspired Ms. Swados to write her music. Eight of the Triptych paintings actually appear on the set. • for more information see Journey to Benares
Ombres	Déclarations D'Amour Series Still in process, the Déclarations D'Amour series comprises small pen and ink drawings that will illustrate sixty poems in French that Melinda Camber Porter wrote when she lived in Paris from 1975 to 1983.
	see list of Exhibitions and Published Works
	The Works of Melinda Camber Porter info@camberporter.org copyright©2004 Melinda Camber Porter