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"It's Never Like What You Expected" - oil on canvas, 15 x 30 x .75 inches. This is unframed but ready to hang. (click on the image to purchase)
“No one can tell you what your life is goin to be, can they?
No.
It's never like what you expected.
Quijada nodded. If people knew the story of their lives how many would then elect to live them?”
― CORMAC MCCARTHY, The Crossing
It's Never Like What You Expected
If you've never read any Cormac McCarthy, maybe pick up one of his novels and crack it open on a rainy, dismal day.
It's heady reading - exquisite prose, heavy symbolism and themes that make your heart ache. Sometimes it leaves me weeping. It always leaves me thinking. And surprisingly, it leaves me wanting to be a better painter. To capture deeper emotions, to reach deep into the viewer and touch something hidden.
And so the vacant eyes of these silent sentinels under an alien sky remind me to listen, look and feel all around me. Life is never like what you expected - the crows remind me to meet life where it is, not where I thought it should be.
It's heady reading - exquisite prose, heavy symbolism and themes that make your heart ache. Sometimes it leaves me weeping. It always leaves me thinking. And surprisingly, it leaves me wanting to be a better painter. To capture deeper emotions, to reach deep into the viewer and touch something hidden.
And so the vacant eyes of these silent sentinels under an alien sky remind me to listen, look and feel all around me. Life is never like what you expected - the crows remind me to meet life where it is, not where I thought it should be.
About the art: inspired by our own family of crows, who pose for the camera nearly every day and somehow remain mystical and powerful despite their absolutely ridiculous antics and the silly sounds they make. Beginning with a gesso'd canvas and a light sketch with a brush and thinned paint, then slowly working from light to dark. Alternating between brush, rubber wedge and a squeegee (to get those delicious textures at the bottom of the painting) and between hard and soft edges. Letting the planets be wonky and wobbly while the center stage crows are crisp and noble. I think Rocky and Natasha would be pleased.
It is the final week of the October Reader Giveaway! Leave a comment on any blog post this month to enter. One (or more) lucky readers will win a piece of original art - FREE! Now THAT'S a Halloween treat!
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Song and Sadness
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"Song and Sadness" - oil on canvas, 18 x 36 x 1.5 inches. This is unframed but ready to hang. (click on the image to purchase)
...we all turn out to be a rather weak watery solution of salts and carbon compounds, more or less jellified. You and I, with all that we eat and the various bacteria, fungi and viruses that live so happily within us, are a mingling of the wind and water and dust that constitute the surface of the earth. The miracle is that such stuff as we are made of should walk and talk and know such things as song and sadness. - N.J. BERRILL
"Song and Sadness" - oil on canvas, 18 x 36 x 1.5 inches. This is unframed but ready to hang. (click on the image to purchase)
...we all turn out to be a rather weak watery solution of salts and carbon compounds, more or less jellified. You and I, with all that we eat and the various bacteria, fungi and viruses that live so happily within us, are a mingling of the wind and water and dust that constitute the surface of the earth. The miracle is that such stuff as we are made of should walk and talk and know such things as song and sadness. - N.J. BERRILL
The boundary between my self and the natural world around me feels more porous when we're hiking in the mountains or when we're rockhounding in the ocean. The wind and water and dust are part of me - I can feel it. And the more I am around and in the ocean (and jellyfish), the more the barrier between my self and the jellified salts and carbon compounds erodes.
The miraculous part, as Berrill says so eloquently, is that this stuff we're made of has the ability to move and think and feel.
And this becomes more manifestly obvious when the things we count on to move us (our bodies) or to think and feel with (brains and hearts) are glitchy or injured or off. As a person who struggles with panic attacks, I can tell you there are times when I wonder if jellified me is melting back into the primordial ooze, flickering and softening at the edges.
At some point, we all return to the wind and water and dust and that's ok, that's expected, that's the cycle we're born into. But I think I'll enjoy the miracles that come along with my jellified self for as long as possible.
And this becomes more manifestly obvious when the things we count on to move us (our bodies) or to think and feel with (brains and hearts) are glitchy or injured or off. As a person who struggles with panic attacks, I can tell you there are times when I wonder if jellified me is melting back into the primordial ooze, flickering and softening at the edges.
At some point, we all return to the wind and water and dust and that's ok, that's expected, that's the cycle we're born into. But I think I'll enjoy the miracles that come along with my jellified self for as long as possible.
About the art: Sometimes I throw stuff at the AI bot just to test the waters of its abilities. What if I asked it for a root-vegetable inspired fashion piece? Oh my! It did not disappoint. There were hours of giggling. :). For this one, I began with a rough sketch in thinned oil paint on gesso'd canvas. Working light to dark and leaving the blacks for last, I used many layers of thin washes to give soft shadows and dimension to this wistful lady's skin. Matching the technique for her vegetable adornment to make it almost part of her flesh gives this piece a bit of peculiar creepiness that I adore. Saving the darks for last and using many layers to make them even darker, letting those darks have hard edges to contrast the soft contours of her person and vegetable matter. She's quite a statement piece, and is very good company in the studio. Now, how do I add root vegetables to my own wardrobe?
The October Reader Giveaway continues! Leave a comment (or several) on any blog post this month to be entered. The winner (or winners) will be announced on October 28th right here in the blog.
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A Certain Interior Expansion
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"A Certain Interior Expansion" - oil on paper, 14 x 21 inches. This item is unmounted and unframed. (click on the image to purchase)
The venture into space is meaningless unless it coincides with a certain interior expansion, an ever growing universe within, to correspond with the far flight of the galaxies our telescopes follow from without… That inward world… can be more volatile and mobile, more terrible and impoverished, yet withal more ennobling in its self-consciousness, than the universe that gave it birth. - LOREN EISELEY
Eiseley's words grabbed me by both shoulders, shook me, looked me in the eye and said SEE? YOUR INWARD WORLD IS JUST LIKE A SCI-FI ADVENTURE! Whoa! Where's my spacesuit? Let's gear up and GO!
I don't know about you, dear reader, but as an anxious and introverted creative being I spend a lot of time looking inward. It's not like I choose that particular adventure, it is just where my moon boots go. They have a mind of their own. And that inner world can, indeed, be volatile, mobile, terrible and impoverished. But it can also be beautiful, vast, surprising and adventure-filled.
Maybe that's what we're doing here, sharing paintings and words and things that inspire interior expansion. Because it is quite challenging to share an interior view with those on the outside. Yet art and words (and music and dance and photos and theater and and and!) allow us to get a glimpse of that galaxy of wonder in another that we may never otherwise see. And once in a while, that glimpse informs and expands our own inner landscape and propels us to venture further. Oh!!!
About the art: another inspiration image from the AI bot that launched me into another world of paint exploration. I asked for one thing, received another and then created something further afield than that. Beginning with a very old acrylic painting on arches watercolor paper, I sketched the figure and began laying in the background colors loosely, allowing one color to blend into the next for an ombre effect. Using light washes thinned with walnut oil, it takes a LOT of layers. I embraced some hard shadows on the figure - skeletal? Cyborg? Alien? Who knows? But she likes her fancy clothes and isn't afraid to wear them with a helmet. Using a small rubber wedge, I carved back into the wet paint layers in the dress to expose a bit of the underpainting. I cannot help but wonder what she's thinking...
The October Reader Giveaway begins today! Leave a comment on any of this month's blog posts to be automatically entered. One (or more) lucky commenters will win a piece of original artwork - FREE! Now that's a treat for your Halloween bag. :)
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Beauty, Life-Deep
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"Beauty, Life-Deep" - oil on canvas, 20 x 20 x .5 inches. This item is unframed but ready to hang. (click on the image to purchase)
That must be what the great artists see and paint. That must be why the tired, aged faces in Rembrandt’s portraits give us such delight: they show us beauty not skin-deep but life-deep. - URSULA K. LE GUIN
"Beauty, Life-Deep" - oil on canvas, 20 x 20 x .5 inches. This item is unframed but ready to hang. (click on the image to purchase)
That must be what the great artists see and paint. That must be why the tired, aged faces in Rembrandt’s portraits give us such delight: they show us beauty not skin-deep but life-deep. - URSULA K. LE GUIN
I am determined to find, appreciate and savor the beauty in aging.
The message we're given in the world is quite the opposite. Which has led me to critically eye every wrinkle, sag, crepe and soft jiggle with suspicion and judgment, followed by a liberal application of miracle lotions and potions.
But as I become an apprentice of self-compassion and mindfulness, I realize each of these judgy moments is telling my very own self how unacceptably inferior I am. Whoa! Wait - am I being mean to me? Funny how we can be mean to ourselves in ways we would not tolerate from others. Hmmmm.
The message we're given in the world is quite the opposite. Which has led me to critically eye every wrinkle, sag, crepe and soft jiggle with suspicion and judgment, followed by a liberal application of miracle lotions and potions.
But as I become an apprentice of self-compassion and mindfulness, I realize each of these judgy moments is telling my very own self how unacceptably inferior I am. Whoa! Wait - am I being mean to me? Funny how we can be mean to ourselves in ways we would not tolerate from others. Hmmmm.
As I wander through our collection of bones here at home (the by-product of being hikers and amateur naturalists), I can see the beauty in each of these relics; the very richness of existence itself. They tell a story - where they were found, what condition the bones are in, how the teeth are worn, which pieces are missing...and so my own bones, still inside my body, have a story to tell. And my muscles and teeth and the lines upon my face. And the hands that painted this piece. There is beauty in a life well-lived.
About the art - the AI bot and I often play with skeletons. It seems to like them, and is very wiling to dress them up. The folder of inspiration images for cheeky skeleton compositions is rather large. But this one! The colors, the texture, the nod to traditional portraiture and the wistful gaze of a skeleton lady missing her love - it grabbed me by the hand and said PAINT! So I did. The focus in creating this pieces was making the forward figure three-dimensional and the portrait figure flat, along with the textured "wallpaper" which implies the natural decay of our surroundings. Another piece that leaped from the paint, intuitive and joy-filled in the creating.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the September Reader Giveaway! Your comments make this blog space deeply meaningful and community-centered. I am so very grateful.
Wonder Mike chose three winners this month - congratulations to Gretchen, Carl and Sara! Send your mailing address to thewanderingsoflola@gmail.com and your original artworks will be on the way in a jiffy. Look for a new contest beginning a week from today.
Wonder Mike chose three winners this month - congratulations to Gretchen, Carl and Sara! Send your mailing address to thewanderingsoflola@gmail.com and your original artworks will be on the way in a jiffy. Look for a new contest beginning a week from today.
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Don't Expect This To Be Scientifically Plausible - LISTEN to the blog by clicking the DOWNLOAD link below
"Don't Expect This To Be Scientifically Plausible" oil on cradled wood panel, 24 x 12 x 1.5 inches. This item is unframed but ready to hang. (click on the image to purchase)
Yes, don’t expect this novella to be scientifically plausible. It’s not. It’s a totally absurd, tongue-in-cheek mishmash of the most popular time travel tropes, juggled with admirable deftness and self-awareness by the angry old man in the center of the story. Time travel serves here only as a literary vehicle for funny and sharp critique of our human foibles and vices and prejudices. And if we can get an adorable, feathered, man-eating dinosaur as a bonus, all the better.
- RE-ENCHANTMENTOFTHEWORLD.BLOG
Here we are at the end of the world, with a giant, angry rabbit and cotton candy skies.
Which might be what happens when you read Adrian Tchaikovsky's One Day All This Will Be Yours. Sometimes it's good to make fun of everything that makes you angry and disappointed, as Tchaikovsky's unnamed protagonist does in this splendid novella.
But this blog isn't about book reviews or literary critiques. It is, however, about the things that reach down into our depths and poke us until we pay attention (or bat them away, depending on your methods). I didn't know how very much I needed a dose of full snark until Malcolm and I began reading this book. Whoa whoa whoa. My entire insides said YES, PLEASE and MAY I HAVE ANOTHER? It is a little respite from the state of the world and the endless news cycle.
Which might be what happens when you read Adrian Tchaikovsky's One Day All This Will Be Yours. Sometimes it's good to make fun of everything that makes you angry and disappointed, as Tchaikovsky's unnamed protagonist does in this splendid novella.
But this blog isn't about book reviews or literary critiques. It is, however, about the things that reach down into our depths and poke us until we pay attention (or bat them away, depending on your methods). I didn't know how very much I needed a dose of full snark until Malcolm and I began reading this book. Whoa whoa whoa. My entire insides said YES, PLEASE and MAY I HAVE ANOTHER? It is a little respite from the state of the world and the endless news cycle.
About the art: oh, you may have guessed the AI bot loves rabbits. It is fully willing and able to imagine rabbits in every possible scenario, style and genre of art. Ask it for an angry rabbit at the end of the world, and you'll get dozens of grin-inducing inspiration images. This piece is all about that black rabbit and the vivid sky. Soft paint layers here on gesso'd wood panel. I kept the setting very neutral and understated, with the color focus behind the rabbit and within his eyes and nostrils. A hint of tiny utility lines running through the sky and resisting the desire to overly define the structures was key to shining the spotlight on the rabbit. I can't look at this piece without chuckling a bit. Sometimes embracing the absurd is just the thing to soothe the spirit.
It is the final week to enter the September Reader Giveaway! Leave a comment (or more than one) this month to enter. The winner will be announced right here on September 30th.
Thank you to everyone who reads, comments and shares this blog space and the art within it. Giving away a portion of what I create is my way of showing my deep gratitude for all of you, dear readers! Thank you hugely!
Thank you to everyone who reads, comments and shares this blog space and the art within it. Giving away a portion of what I create is my way of showing my deep gratitude for all of you, dear readers! Thank you hugely!
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Shallow Waters
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"Shallow Waters" - oil on canvas, 30 x 15 x .75 inches. (click on the image to purchase)
When we go down to the lowest of the low tide lines and look down into the shallow waters, there’s all the excitement of discovering a new world. Once you have entered such a world, its fascination grows and somehow you find your mind has gained a new dimension, a new perspective — and always thereafter you find yourself remember[ing] the beauty and strangeness and wonder of that world — a world that is as real, as much a part of the universe, as our own. - RACHEL CARSON
Scuba boots.
Wetsuit pants.
Fanny pack, waterproof phone pouch.
Now you're ready to go rockhounding in the Pacific Ocean as the tides roll in and out, without losing toes or limbs to the freezing water. We go for the low tide and the shallow water, but the ocean here doesn't really like to be pigeon-holed as "cooperative." Sneaker waves, sudden surges, unexpected surf - just as you reach for that egg-sized agate beneath the water. Oy!
Wetsuit pants.
Fanny pack, waterproof phone pouch.
Now you're ready to go rockhounding in the Pacific Ocean as the tides roll in and out, without losing toes or limbs to the freezing water. We go for the low tide and the shallow water, but the ocean here doesn't really like to be pigeon-holed as "cooperative." Sneaker waves, sudden surges, unexpected surf - just as you reach for that egg-sized agate beneath the water. Oy!
But there is something otherworldly about standing in that unrelenting surf and trying to see and feel what is beneath you. On our last adventure, the rocks and beach were covered in jellyfish parts - glistening, undulating, sparkling like the agates we were hunting. I poked a lot of parts - making sure they weren't treasures. I grabbed a lot of parts rolling in the waves. There was mist, fog, frigid wind and an angry ocean that day. The two of us, standing in that madness, filling our packs with the largest agates we have yet seen, all alone on that endless, moody beach - a new dimension of beauty and strangeness and wonder.
Did I rest my face on a large fish? No, I did not. But I would have if I could have. :)
Did I rest my face on a large fish? No, I did not. But I would have if I could have. :)
About the art: the AI bot and I have had a wildly good time trying to make mermaids. It doesn't get mermaids well, nor centaurs nor griffins. There are all manner of weirdly wrong results. But sometimes you get a sweet moment between a lady and a fish, like this one. Painted alla prima in two stages: the underpainting and initial sketch in the first go, and the subsequent layers all in a second go after letting the first one dry thoroughly. The inspiration image had a very limited color palette, with background and characters barely distinguishable from one another. I tried to maintain the integrity of that effect, while also pulling both lady and fish forward with some sculpting highlights. The final touches were the dripping paint from mouth of the fish and the highlight in the surface below the lady. Again, the temptation to go back in and overly define everything was hard to resist, but I wanted to keep the pale, fleshy, wateriness of the piece intact. So I walked away.
The September Reader Giveaway continues! Leave a comment (or more than one) this month to be automatically entered. The winner will be announced on September 30th. On your mark, get set, GO!
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How We're Shaped
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"How We're Shaped" - oil on Yupo, 11.5 x 18.5 inches. This item is unmounted and unframed. (click on the image to purchase)
A lot of us humans are like dogs: we really don’t know what size we are, how we’re shaped, what we look like. The most extreme example of this ignorance must be the people who design the seats on airplanes. At the other extreme, the people who have the most accurate, vivid sense of their own appearance may be dancers. What dancers look like is, after all, what they do. - URSULA K. LE GUIN
Our chihuahua, Wonder Mike, thinks he is the largest dog on the block.
He will not hesitate to give chase to a raccoon twice his size. I believe he would challenge a bear. And he dislikes being carried or coddled - because clearly he is TOO BIG for that.
When I read this quote, I wondered whether or not I have a firm sense of my size and shape and appearance without a mirror to confirm it. Mostly I do, but I have to admit I am sometimes surprised to find out I am less youthful and robust-looking than what I think I am. Couldn't I just run and do a cartwheel in the grass? Or stand on my head? Why is my butt droopy - that's not what I think is happening back there! And I am always, always guilty of selecting clothes that are too large for me, because I see myself as taking up more space in the world than I actually do. Wonder Mike and I are alike that way - aren't I one of the big dogs?
About the art: this piece is inspired by an image the AI bot created, which was a surprise interpretation of the prompt I had supplied. But I often find those random, wonky images are just exactly what I needed (but didn't know I was looking for). When I saw this one, I connected with her right away - somewhat masked (the eyes) and stern looking, but with torn tights and mismatched gloves and a tutu that was clearly falling apart. Ha ha! As usual, the Yupo allowed a pretty rapid building of the layers of color, and the ability to create texture within the paint. Keeping a nice mixture of hard and soft lines was key with this one, along with varying the reds just enough that her chair stood out but did not distract from the figure. A bit of paint thinner was added to the edges of her skirt to allow some runs and smudges. Kind of a modern version of The Thinker.
The September Reader Giveaway continues! Leave a comment (or several) this month to be entered to win a piece of original art! The winner will be announced here in the blog at the end of the month.
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"Ask Much, Want More" - oil on paper, 17 x 22.5. This piece is unmounted and unframed. (click on the image to purchase)
Ask Much, Want More
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Ask much, the voice suggested, and I startled.
Feeling my body like the trembling body of a horse
tied to its tree while the strange noise
passes over its ears.
I who in extremity had always wanted less,
even of eating, of sleeping.
Agile, the voice did not speak again, but waited.
“Want more” -
a cure for longing I had not thought of.
But that is how it is with wells.
Whatever is taken refills to the steady level.
The voice agreed, though softly, to quiet the feet of the horse:
A cup taken out, a cup reappears; a bucketful taken, a bucket.
- JANE HIRSHFIELD, Ask Much, The Voice Suggested
Ask much?
Oh HO! How the inner being quivers and shies away from the very thought of it.
WANT MORE!
How could I possibly?
And yet...those of us who have experienced perhaps a less functional upbringing, a bit (or a lot) of trauma, the silencing of our asking, the muffling of our wants and needs - we need to ask much and want more. Makes me shake in my very boots (I startled...like the trembling of a horse)
Hirshfield's "voice" suggests a bucketful - so now I am thinking cargo tankers and blimps filled with my heart's desire. Dare I? Oh yes, I do.
Oh HO! How the inner being quivers and shies away from the very thought of it.
WANT MORE!
How could I possibly?
And yet...those of us who have experienced perhaps a less functional upbringing, a bit (or a lot) of trauma, the silencing of our asking, the muffling of our wants and needs - we need to ask much and want more. Makes me shake in my very boots (I startled...like the trembling of a horse)
Hirshfield's "voice" suggests a bucketful - so now I am thinking cargo tankers and blimps filled with my heart's desire. Dare I? Oh yes, I do.
About the art: Wonderland is never far from my imagination. It was just a matter of time before the Queen of Hearts made another appearance. And in this one, her voice VERY LOUD, she asks for (nay, DEMANDS) exactly what she wants. This is one of those pieces that happened easily, relatively swiftly and without much gnashing of teeth. A neutral underpainting, a quick sketch with brush and dark paint, layers of walnut-oil thinned paint on skin and clothing. A little extra care with the focal point (her open mouth) and a full RESIST RESIST RESIST when I wanted to keep fussing with it. I mean, if you get what you ask for, stop and enjoy it - don't keep fussing at it. Sheesh. Artists are troublesome. :)
The September Reader Giveaway has begun! Leave a comment on a blog post this month and be automatically entered. Leave multiple comments to be entered as many times! The winner will be drawn at random at the end of the month, and will receive a piece of original art - free! Hooray!
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Matter Yearning For Meaning
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"Matter Yearning For Meaning" - oil on Yupo, 18.5 x 24 inches. This item is sold unmounted and unframed. (click on the image to purchase)
Here we are, matter yearning for meaning, each of us a fragile constellation of chemistry and chance hurtling through a cold cosmos that has no accord for our wishes, takes no interest in our dreams. - MARIA POPOVA
There's this thing about aging. A shift in mind and sense of place in the world that makes very clear what a fragile constellation of chemistry and chance we are. The chemistry of my body and brain is responsible for many wondrous (and a few frustrating) things. That chemistry can allow feelings of exuberant joy and also deep sadness and fear.
And don't get me started on chance. Where I am, what I do, who is near to me and how I think about all of it is so much an amalgamation of chance happenings and situations. We don't choose our parents. We don't choose our genetic make-up. We don't choose much of anything about the direction of our lives until we near adulthood. And even then - how much of our choices are truly choice vs a continuation of patterns and paths or completely random encounters and events?
And so, in a truly happenstance conflagration of chemistry and chance, I recently found myself in a heroic, therapeutic psilocybin journey which left me even more aware of the fragility of that entire constellation and the brevity of all that is. Oh!
And so, in a truly happenstance conflagration of chemistry and chance, I recently found myself in a heroic, therapeutic psilocybin journey which left me even more aware of the fragility of that entire constellation and the brevity of all that is. Oh!
About the art: continuing an exploration of a mash-up of robot and human as in the ballgown bot series, except this time exposing the vulnerable flesh of humanness with the slight augment of the cyborgian (is that a word?). The goal with this piece was to embrace the neutrality of the figure coloring and allow the background and the robotic arm pieces to be the only obvious color. As always, the Yupo allows an easy, relatively rapid layering of oil paint, and also the ability to carve back through it (the background design elements and the artist's signature) to expose a pale pink underpainting. This piece just oozes strength and bold badassery to me. Yaaaaasssss please.
Congratulations to Dotty and Marta! Wonder Mike chose your names at random as winners of the August Reader Giveaway! Send your mailing addresses to Wonder Mike at thewanderingsoflola@gmail.com and your free art will be shipped to you lickety split! And thanks so much to all who participated. A new contest begins next month! Hooray!
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"Confidence and Illusion" - oil on crescent board, 14 x 19 inches. This item is sold unframed. (click on the photo to purchase)
Ah, the expressive brush strokes of Van Gogh, and oh, Chagall’s dreamy scenes! Celebrated artists throughout history have produced some of the world’s most ravishing works, executed with an unparalleled mastery of light and color, line and space. But let’s face it: they also turned out their share of duds. We’re not talking about paintings intended to capture the grotesquerie of human life, but artworks that evidence clumsy mark-making, questionable choices, or a rudimentary hand. Even the most adept of painters, it seems, have their off days. -ARTNEWS, Nov 2023
Confidence and Illusion
Masterpiece or hot mess? https://news.artnet.com/art-world-archives/bad-paintings-by-famous-artists-2397184
Artists have a lot in common with Oz's wizard.
We're behind the curtain, making things appear to be enchanted, magical, effortless, charming and more. But really, we are messy, clumsy, mistake-making, blundering adventurers who sometimes happen to land on a formula that works.
Well, I am, anyway.
But I suppose it is part of our mystique - our je ne said quoi -to keep the curtain closed, the fog machine rolling and the pile of mishaps shoved under the table. Because there are many.
We're behind the curtain, making things appear to be enchanted, magical, effortless, charming and more. But really, we are messy, clumsy, mistake-making, blundering adventurers who sometimes happen to land on a formula that works.
Well, I am, anyway.
But I suppose it is part of our mystique - our je ne said quoi -to keep the curtain closed, the fog machine rolling and the pile of mishaps shoved under the table. Because there are many.
The ballgown bots are something I stumbled upon that delight me and seem to feel effortless under my hands. But it is a rarity, this sense of ease in the paint. As I gaze upon the pile of canvases and boards to be painted over (my share of duds) I am decidedly grateful for a wizardly moment with the paint.
About the art: this is a paint-over of a very old acrylic piece on crescent board. Though I chose the underpainting because of its color and depth, ultimately none of it remains in this new painting. The focus of this piece is that small section of skin against the dark background - a wee bit of humanity within the monstrous. After a light pencil sketch, I began layering the darks, painting around the form until the shapes were just so. Resisting the desire to overly define the skin shadows, letting shapes speak instead. Layers and layers of pink and gold for the dress, wet into wet so the edges slightly blur into the dark background like gauzy silk. Mixing the darkest darks for bodice and underskirt (while avoiding actual black) and then a slightly gray-brown dark for the background. Playing one dark against the other. Allowing a small shape within the headpiece to say "eye" and a dark shape to say "ear" and leaving the rest to the viewer's eyes. This piece makes me smile. She's a badass for sure.
It's the final week to enter the August Reader Giveaway! Leave a comment to be automatically entered to win a free piece of original art! The winner will be announced in next week's post.
