Thursday, September 6, 2012

painting a purple abstract on trust alone...

hello world.

It's abstract play time. :-)


I tend to over analyze,
so whenever i start these kinds of paintings,
i ask my heart to take the front seat
and tell my mind to shut up and sit quietly at the back. ;-)


It's hard to do sometimes - to let the heart lead...


There's almost always a point during the painting
where i hear myself say "i really don't like this"...

Which usually always means... 
I'm not painting with the heart and the mind wants to be
in the front seat again.

So i flip the painting on its side and continue.

  
I literally talk to myself through the process:

just keep going.

don't judge.

paint what feels right.

there's no right or wrong.

do what comes naturally.

it's a painting, not brain surgery...

if it sucks,

the sun will still rise tomorrow.


And that's usually when i get more comfortable and confident...
and a little more daring.

It still feels somewhat controlled to me,
but i am getting better at letting loose. 


I love adding the oil pastels...


And in the end, i do like it, even if it's no longer as abstract 
as i thought it would be at first.

Art is all about trusting.

Trusting that your opinion of the painting
really has nothing to do with the art itself. 

Trusting that the process always works itself out, in the end.

***

FYI - i won't be putting word verification on my blog.
I'll just keep trashing the Anonymous comments. 
Thank you all for letting me know you hate word verification 
as much as i do. :-)

Another FYI... i'll be gone for a few days of rest and relaxation.
I'll catch up to your blogs soon.
Wishing you all a great weekend! xox

Here's a beautiful song by Sarah Harmer,
to set you in the same relaxation mode as mine,
without even having to leave your chair. 
:-)


Tuesday, September 4, 2012

wings to fly...

The butterfly counts not months but moments,
and has time enough.
Rabindranath Tagore


hi everyone.

The butterfly painting is done.

I finished it rather quickly - which is sometimes how it goes
for certain paintings.

Two weekends ago, there was an accident near here.
A young man was killed (18 years young) and he loved butterflies.
His mother said that she would think of him always,
especially when she saw a butterfly.

I painted this for her, and for him,
although i now question whether it'll help or hinder her healing.

I guess she can always hide it somewhere if it's too painful.

One never knows much what to do with such suffering...



These photos are not the greatest... (no natural light)


I've painted a few paintings like this one,
the kind that just seem to pour out of me.

They're usually done with intense energy and a controlled urgency
and although i don't much believe in angels,
whenever this happens so quickly,
it always moves me.



I only hope Nic's mom likes it...


And something that makes me smile...

I love Mark Twain's sense of humor and intelligence.

Don't we all know someone with 2 university degrees up their ass
and the common sense of a pea? ;-)

No offense to those of you who have 2 university degrees.
If you're reading my blog, you're already intelligent enough.
(giggle)


I also finished the boat painting a while ago.
I'm only posting this one close up,
since you're probably all so fucking tired of seeing it by now.

Notice the little Acadian flag up there... :-)
(vive l'Acadie!!) 

By the way, i've been getting so many bogus anonymous comments on my blog (usually advertising Viagra, Levitra, Valium, etc), I'm seriously considering setting up the word verification thing. But i really hate that word verification thing. Do any of you know of any other way to rid ourselves of these anonymous advertisers?

If only they knew how much i don't need Viagra... :-)

I've had very little time lately to comment on your blogs.
Please know that i'll be back soon. Can't wait to see what you've all been up to.

love and lollipops 
xox

Sunday, September 2, 2012

IF - identical, and butterfly start

hi folks.

I'm linking this to Illustration Friday - the word this week: IDENTICAL.





A quiet Sunday at the easel... 

The beginning of a butterfly painting, a gift for someone
going through difficult times...


Painting insects is something i've never done before,
so i hope i render this butterfly as real as i want it to be.


The colors i used when i first began,
for the background and the outline of the butterfly.


Then i added purple and blue for the background...


I think it's gonna look good when i finish the background
and add the orange wings.

The canvas is 20" x 20", so a nice size.


These are not colors that i normally use much.
I do love them here though...

They feel like healing colors to me.


Do you ever work on a painting that just feels like it's eager to be born?

This is one of those paintings.

I'll post the finished piece when it's done.

In the meantime, thanks for stopping by,
and don't forget to hug the ones you love.
xox