Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Flying Girl Gets A Gift, or I Am Enough

Flying Girl Gets A Gift, or I Am Enough
2/16/09
Golden Fluid Acrylics, Prismacolor Watercolor Pencils on paper. 5x8"

This one makes me happy. Mostly because I had no inspiration when I started, not a bloomin' idea in my head, and then, once I started, I was sure this one would be a loss. It was hideous. My ideas were falling flat. The colors were not working. It was, to borrow a phrase, a hot mess.

But I didn't give up. I painted over messes. I added another layer. or two or three. I removed certain elements, changed colors, or tinted them another shade. I just kept on keeping on and then I ended up with something that made me smile when I looked at it.

So after all that, let me tell you where the inspiration finally came from. I should have learned by now to sketch down ideas in my journal as they come to me during the day, but I didn't. Instead, I turned to the internet or inspiration.

First there was the idea on Pecannoot, a new blog about abundance by Jess Gonacha. She suggests we should be using the ideas of abundance in our art work, because in this world of panic and fear, we could all use abundance. Then there was CED, where Leah has suggested "words" as a theme for the month of February. Lastly, but not least, there was the theme for thursday sweet treats, run by Natasha. Let me tell you, I was stumped by that one. The theme is "colors" and colors are so integral to my work that I couldn't narrow down an idea.

So in the end, I let the colors do the deciding. I reached in my bag of paints and pulled out a color, two, three, four, and a white. It gave me a fright when I got cobalt teal and sap green hue, but then I pulled iridescent bronze and burnt umber light and I began to get an inkling of an idea. The white was my favorite titan buff. As the colors started making sense, the painting came together. I followed the colors, mixed and layered them

2 comments:

Unknown said...

rowena, this is SO GREAT! it's so easy to forget that we are enough just as we are. i would love to post this if you are up for it-- let me know!!

Karen Salva said...

Now this I would want a print of, if not the original!

I have to tell you...I have been sketching out some ideas in my sketch book here and there. Something for PJ Girl who wants to fly with the birds and tonight I did one while Lauren did her art class and she only had an eye, no other facial features and I said holy crap, that is flying girl. I had no idea what I was drawing as my mouth was running the whole time. Just wanted to let you know, you were with me...

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