Tag Archives: Canvas

Rock Art Series — The Beatles

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Yes, I know I have kept you waiting for the second piece of this series but wait no longer!

For those of you who have not been following the ‘Rock Art’ journey, you can check out what’s been going on (within you and) without you here: 10 Bands, 10 Paintings — Let the Rock Art Begin!

I’m Such a Tease!

Well, this is just another teaser pictorial blog because the painting isn’t quite finished yet. However, the groundwork has been laid and we are good to go in the colorizing department.  This painting is done a bit arse about face (an idiom for arranging the opposite way to the way it should be) but that is typical of someone who has their head stuck in alternate realities.

I have inked out the content and now I’m going to be adding the delectable and bright colors that are just waiting to burst forth onto the canvas.  It’s going to be a bit like a coloring-in book, I guess.  How exciting and unprecedented this Rock Art series is turning out to be — such toe-tingling excitement!

Painting No. 2 — Let Me Present….

I have decided it is the turn of The Beatles to rock ‘n roll their way onto my second canvas in this series.  As I’m sure you’ll notice, the effect is rather different from the Radiohead painting.  Well, it should be!

They’re both great bands but worlds apart.  I really got a feeling of animated abstract fun and foolishness when I went into ‘Beatles’ mode.  It brought back a lot of childhood memories and whimsical, magical (mystery tours?), experimental modes.

A Girl with a Plan!

This time I was savvy and started writing out all the emotions that were coming up as I was setting out the drawing (I squiggled them down on the side of the canvas — pure genius even if it does look a bit untidy).

Here are a few keywords I wrote down.  Yes, some are rather strange, I admit — but this is what came up for me:

  • Fun
  • Candid
  • Innovative
  • Serious
  • Rigid (?)
  • Abstract
  • Exciting
  • Mentally Delicious

I like the last one, I think that sums up The Beatles quite well…maybe not mental, but certainly aurally delicious.

I am not revealing the picture as a whole but have cut it up into segments to add to the intrigue.  Here are some sneak peeks of the painting :

    

You can see it in its entirety when it is finished.  If you think it looks busy now, wait until the hue shows its face!

I hope to have the full color version for you within the next 2 weeks, so do tune in to the Tuesday Art/Creativity blog here by hitting that ‘follow this blog’ button in the left-hand sidebar of the homepage or at the bottom of the page (yeah, that wafty ‘follow’ button-thingy that should be following your every move).

For All You Shy Little Sausages

Oh, and one last thing…so many people write to me privately and tell me about the creative projects that they have undertaken.  I love to hear about your experiments but please share them with everyone!  It would be great if you could tell us what you are getting up to in the studio or what you have done in the past that’s new and innovative — don’t be shy, we’re all eager to hear about your creations.  Leave a comment… 😀

TO VIEW THE FINISHED PAINTING CLICK HERE!

A Look Behind the Scenes — Painting an Abstract Landscape

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Photographing the Stages of Painting an Abstract Landscape

I photographed the process of painting one of my big landscapes.  I thought it would make an interesting pictorial blog.

I have done a detailed description at the end of this blog outlining the inspiration and details that went into the piece, along with the title and measurements.

The original is sold but it is available as prints, posters and greeting cards.

 Here it goes:

And then finally, drum-roll please, the finished product:

Cosmic Dance by 

Acrylic and textured acrylic on Canvas — 40″ × 30″

INSPIRATION BEHIND THE ART:

It probably goes without saying that I love the work of Van Gogh. I had a dream the night before I embarked on this painting.

I was in a field and was looking up at the night sky and the stars. I’m not sure if the spirit of Van Gogh was with me or if he was standing by my side, but I was being shown how he saw the night sky. How the stars looked like wormholes and were dancing and twinkling. When I woke up I knew exactly how I wanted to paint this picture and this is the product.

This painting was also done to the sounds of Tchaikovsky. I was also burning lavender and vanilla essence which is very calming and soothing, and vanilla is said to be an aphrodisiac — so this painting is one for the bedroom!

(PS.  No, I don’t paint in my Sunday best — this was taken the day after I finished)

Thanks for looking!

Don’t forget to subscribe and receive your FREE copy of ‘Creative Expression — How to find your inspiration….’

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5 Tips on Getting Back In The Groove

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Lost your Mojo?

This can apply to any creative endeavour.  When you feel like you have done all there is to do or that you just don’t know where to turn next, you have lost your groove!

“I was selling out and painting what the public wanted.”

I was feeling really stifled a while ago (actually, it was only about a month ago) with my art. I felt like I was selling out and painting what the public wanted.  I really wanted to get into my own style and flavour of art.  But I was holding myself back.

I wrote quite a few blogs on the process that you can read here:

The Space Within Series — Inner Art

Going Deeper…Inner Art Expression

Got It! Inner Art Expression Expressed

Digging even deeper…Inner Art Expression

I just want to outline a few steps that you can take to find your creative space.

5 Tips for Getting Your Groove On:

  • Quiet Time — Meditate on the problem and the solution.  Give yourself some time-out to reflect and to plot your new course of action.  You can’t just pile one idea on top of another, this will make you feel scattered and all over the place.  Lay to rest what you have been doing that no longer serves you and make way for the new.
  • Space — Give yourself a proper working space.  Your very own creative space where you can go to when you are feeling inspired or to get inspired.  A place that will trigger your creativity.  If you already have one but it doesn’t work then look around you, does it need a clean up?  Can you make it a working space?  Are you holding yourself back by dumping things in your creative space and cluttering it up so that you won’t have to use it?  Or worse,  you use this as an excuse for why you can’t get anything done.
  • Creative Time — Allocate yourself time for your passion.  It can be an hour a day or a week.  Whatever is realistic to you.  Hold yourself accountable for that time.  Get a whiteboard and plot out a schedule on it, put it somewhere where you will see it everyday.
  • Freedom — Allow yourself to express whatever needs expressing.  Give yourself the freedom to step out of any box you may have built around your unique talents.  Do what you feel like doing.  No matter how bizarre it may seem to you in the moment.  These things have a way of unraveling themselves with divine perfection and timing.
  • Plan — When you are in the zone it feels amazing.  What happens when you are finished with this project though?  This is the process of life, we usually get nicely wrapped up in the journey but when we arrive, there is a sense of disappointment.  Give yourself a game plan to work on for the next creative explosion.  Mark out on your board when you are going to begin, what you need and where you will take yourself to find the necessary inspiration.  Even if the original idea morphs into something completely different — it is a starting point.

Paint on Canvas

Using the techniques above, here are my last 3 projects that have given me so much satisfaction.  I have been using acrylic, textured acrylic and spray paint and it has been a blast!

Let me know what you think.  I have also included some photos of me with the paintings, so you can get a feel for the size of the paintings…

I am happy to say that the originals have found new homes but they are all available as prints (click on photo’s to take you to store).

The 2 above have been purchased by the same client, so they are sharing a home which is kind of nice to know.

What do you do to keep yourself motivated and inspired?  Please share your tips and secrets with us.

If you are feeling stuck with inspiration, why not subscribe now and get your FREE copy of ‘Creative Expression — How to find your inspiration…’ — no strings attached!  Click on picture below to sign up, you will receive your copy in the welcome e-mail:

Creative Expression

Digging Even Deeper…Inner Art Expression

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Please read the past articles relating to this blog HERE (Going Deeper…Inner Art Expression) and HERE (Got It!  Inner Art Expression Expressed).

The Cosmos on a Canvas

A couple of weeks ago my hand, brush, paints and right brain hemisphere took my canvas on a journey into a very colourful cosmos.  Here is the outer manifestation of this inward expression:

‘The Bridge’ — Acrylic on Canvas — 18″ x 24″ 

I hope you like it.

If you are an artist, what are your biggest stumbling blocks?  What do you still wish you could do or want to achieve?

If you are an art lover, then what do you like to see in a piece of art?  What get’s you going?

I would love to hear from you…