Tag Archives: Paint

Going Green in the Art Studio

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No Soapbox Today…

Now before you think this is a blog about eco-friendly tips for artists, let me assure you now — this is actually about diving into the delicious green hues of the paint-pot.

Green is an unusual colour for monotone painting but I have fished out some of my art that has at least 60% green coverage (see below).

Gotta Love the Green

I love the colour green, I find it so wholesome, energetic, alive and vibrant — also somewhat comforting.

 ” One of my friend’s son once walked in the front door, paused to look around and then boldly stated that my house looked like a jungle.”

If you were to see my home, you would notice that I have a forest green sofa and plants popping out all around my house.  One of my friend’s son once walked in the front door, paused to look around and then boldly stated that my house looked like a jungle.  I loved that!  🙂

What is your favourite colour to paint in?  Or, if you don’t paint, what hue are you more partial to, especially when viewing a monotone piece of art?

Interesting note:  Did you know that green is the colour of your heart chakra?

Don’t forget you can kit your home or office space out in green and purchase any of the above pictures as prints, just click on the photo to take you to the store.

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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…

Got It — Inner Art Expressed!

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Please recap on last weeks article HERE.

I left off with saying that I still felt something was wrong.  An inner imbalance, something was crying out!

What Could Possibly Be Amiss?

I sat on my couch looking at my painting, still feeling that something was out of alignment.  Do I still have to dig even deeper?

“If you don’t try, you’ll never know…”

A voice seemed to be asking me questions in my head.

Higher Guidance from my Higher Self (HS)?

HS:  What are you feeling?

Me:  Constricted.

HS:  Why?

Me:  I want to paint bigger.

HS:  A-ha!  You’ve been wanting to do that for the past 2 years now.  What is stopping you?

Me:  Big canvas is expensive and it means more paint and materials — I also want to experiment with different materials and it is all costly.

HS:  If you don’t try, you’ll never know.  Take the expense risk just for one week and see how it goes.

Me:  OK.

Stepping Out of the Box

It dawned on me how I put myself in a box.  I subconsciously and consciously limit myself by talking myself out of something for whatever reason.  And usually, they are not good reasons.

“You’ve got nothing to lose except living with regret for not trying.”

If you don’t try, you’ll never know.  So try and at least you can say you have taken that step.  If you succeed — great!  If you don’t, well then just see it as feedback.  You’ve got nothing to lose except living with regret for not trying.

So with that in mind, I came up with this:

I have called it ‘The God Code‘ after the revelations that Gregg Braden has discovered that we possess a code in our DNA that literally translates, in Hebrew, to ‘God Eternal, in the body’.

I also had an epiphany to use all 4 senses whilst painting, I mean why not?!?  Before I started I got the distinct message that I was going to paint something that was healing and enlightening to the observer.  So I wanted to incorporate smell, touch, spirit and sound (I left taste out, for obvious reasons — unless you want a tongue full of chemicals!).

So this painting has been infused with:

  1. Rosemary and Lavender (I instinctively chose these two out of my garden.  When I later looked up the properties, you guessed it, lavender is for healing and Rosemary is for remembering — which you could say would be ‘enlightening’).  I made a tea out of it and used it in my brush water.  I also lit myrrh incense which is apparently good for tranquility.
  2. Prayer for the observer to obtain healing and enlightenment through the art/visual resonance (trying to emulate Dr. Masaru Emoto‘s fine work with water and the effects that positive words and emotions has on it).
  3. Bach.  I played my Bach CD on repeat until I was finished with the painting.  So it is infused with sacred, cosmic sound.
  4. Different textures.  I used a great granulated paint that is awesome to touch.  I also used a glass liner to add some raised pattern effects.

Let me know what you think?  What comes up for you when you look at this painting?  Come on, let me have it — the good and the bad.

Going Deeper…Inner Art Expression

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Please read last weeks art blog HERE to recap on this interesting new artistic expression I have discovered in me.

Boring…

This week I started off doing my usual weekly art schedule.  Painting pretty pictures (you know, the ones that ‘sell’) and when I got to the end of the day this one popped out.

It truly took me by surprise as I didn’t know I had it in me.

What Sparked It?

I was listening to a talk on Project Camelot by Compton Rom Bada from ascendedhealth.com (do check it out — quite remarkable!).  In a nutshell, it was about how our body is made out of 90% microbes and while I was listening and painting — what I thought was going to be a cosmos painting — started automatically painting what looks like the ‘inner body’.  The microcosm cosmos.

Let it Flow

I love how my hand was just running over the canvas and splashing and doing all sorts of ‘things’ that I don’t normally do.  I just went with the flow and enjoyed the process.

Quite interestingly, the painting only took me about half an hour to complete.  I usually take about 2-3 hours for this size.  So there we have the law of least effort in place and working.

I sat on the couch after this episode and looked at the painting.  I liked it — it was different and different is good for me now.  Something was still wrong though…

The Missing Link by Cherie Roe Dirksen

I will let you know in next weeks art blog the epiphany I had!  And, hopefully, will have some tangible evidence thereof….

Art Commissions — The Soulworks Project (Part 4)…The Finished Product!

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Please read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 to recap.

Let’s Pick Up with a Hiccup!

So I left off last weeks blog with a slight hiccup…

My client came to see the painting and she liked it but I could sense something was bothering her.

“I had misinterpreted her want for silver, black, a hint of green, pink and purple tones to mean that was all the colours she wanted in the piece.”

When we got into it she divulged that she had wanted more of an orange/pink glow in the sunset and that the whole painting was a bit monotone.  I had misinterpreted her want for silver, black, a hint of green, pink and purple tones to mean that was all the colours she wanted in the piece.

This turned out not to be the case.

What to do next?

I listened to her requests and told her that I would first come up with a digital overlay of what she was asking for.

“It is important to listen to the needs of your client…”

I do this to see what the painting will look like with the changes and if it actually suits the painting.  Here is what I came up with:

What I did here was take the photo of the painting and use the ‘airbrush’ feature in my Ulead programme (most photo editing packages have an airbrush feature) to paint in the required adjustments.

I saw that it actually brought the picture to life.

It is important to listen to the needs of your client but it is also important to stick with the integrity of the painting.  What does that mean?

Integrity Check

Well, if I feel that the changes that the client wants do not fall in line with the artwork then I will let them know.  If I feel strongly that it will ‘take away’ from the artwork, then I try to explain the potential hiccups in changing the piece.

However, in this case, the changes my customer wanted actually enhanced the artwork and I had to agree with her in the end, that it was for the betterment of the piece.

Once we had discussed all the little changes she wanted, I went back to the drawing board (or easel, in this case).

The Finished Project

After implementing the final adjustments to the painting, the Soulworks Project was complete!

Here is a picture of the finished artwork.

Available as cards and prints – click here

My client was thrilled it now hangs in her office/consulting room and she now uses it on her business cards and brochures as well as her website.  Check out her site at www.soulworks.co.za.

Don’t forget your FREE copy of my book ‘Creative Expression’ — GET IT HERE

How to find your inspiration…

Art Commissions — The Soulworks Project (Part 3)…Painting the Picture

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Please read Part 1 and Part 2 if you wish to recap.

Let The Painting Begin…

So with the prelim sketch having been accepted, the real work starts.  You will see, in the photographs below,  just why I never show the client the process.

Layering

Art is done in stages and layers and, usually, only the artist can see where they are going with the process.  If someone were to step into your studio, say, whilst you were busy with your first layer, they would — no doubt — think you were an amateur.

“The reward for any artist is seeing the process evolve into your visualization of it.”

Paintings are built up layer upon layer until the desired outcome is realized.  The reward for any artist is seeing the process evolve into your visualization of it.

Here are the beginning stages:

The canvas is good to go…

The first layer begins…

The second layer starts and you begin to see where this is going…

And then, drum roll, the finished product (or is it?)

Just to recap, here is the prelim sketch that I worked from:

I was very clear with my client that the prelim sketch would not show the intensity of the acrylic paint colours.  The sketch is always just an ‘idea’ of the colour scheme.

Next…

The next step in the process is to e-mail a photo of the painting to the client.  In this case, my client came to see it in person.  

The Plot Thickens — Hitting Unforseen Snags

This is where things get interesting.  Next week I will give the final stage in this commission and divulge what to do if your client has a slight change of mind or vision for the project.

Read  Part 4

Art Commissions — The Soulworks Project (Part 2)…the Prelim Sketch

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Please read Part 1 HERE

The Sketch

The next step of the commission process is to provide the client with a rough colour sketch of the proposed artwork along with a detailed description of how you got there.

With all the specs my client gave me (please see Part 1), I came up with this sketch and then gave her an explanation of how I got to this stage by providing her with the inspiration behind the piece.

INSPIRATION BEHIND THE PIECE.

The trees represent mankind/womankind with their arms (branches) stretched out to the heavens and the feet firmly rooted in the earth.  However, to the left of the painting are a couple of souls who are still turned to the darkness – the illusion of reality and who they are – not being able to turn to the light (sun) yet.  There is one soul making her way to the river to cross it and join the others (she has her branches stretched out to them) on the other side who have fully awakened to the light of the dawn that is upon them.

I have subtly put various branched protruding from the trees turned to the dark to show the obstacles they still have to clear (branches to be pruned)…the trees on the other side of the river are streamlined and facing upwards.

The sun represents the light and the new dawn in one’s life.  The ‘enlightened’ trees are gravitating more toward the sun/light.

The river will reflect silver tones of the light (reflections of the sun/dawn) reaching every corner of the world through the stream of ever flowing energy that can’t be stopped.  It passes the lavender field, nourishing it and causing the flowers to bloom (carrying the theme of flowers being the manifestation of a plant’s enlightenment).

The lavender to the left are swaying in the direction of the right – where the painting is being directed – the blossoming of full consciousness.

The wash of butterflies heading toward the flowers begin as a mixture of hearts and butterflies, putting across the concept of love and loving yourself enough to let yourself be free and fly in the beauty of creation.  The conclusion of the painting is the 2 butterflies alighted on the flower – they have found the piece/peace of beauty in this world.  That will be the focal point of this painting.

I also liked the concept – for you Tracy – of the female trees being on top of mountains to represent a little personal touch that you can relate to with your climbing and reaching new heights.

Please also note that this is a very rough sketch – it is A4 in size.  You can imagine that the canvases will be a lot more detailed as I will have a lot more space to ‘do my thing’.  This is really just an idea of content and colour.  The real thing always is far more impressive.  For instance, the butterflies will be a lot more detailed – I would like to incorporate some silver swirly design in their wings and want them to perhaps be more of a lilac colour (like white with a hint of purple).  So they will be more detailed as will the lavender and the mountains, trees, etc.  I want to subtly incorporate the patterned backgrounds I do (in silver) onto the mountains (I have done a little bit of this in the sketch but it will feature more prominently in the painting).

The next stage (Part 3 — next Wednesdays blog, 25th January 2012) I will show you the process of painting and why I never show the client the painting while it is a work-in-progress. To follow this blog via e-mail and get instant updates when a new blog is posted, please click the ‘follow’ button in the sidebar.

Read Part 3 & Part 4


Why I love to paint flowers…

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When I paint a flower I feel an overwhelming bliss – an excitement to capture the beauty and magic of what I see and feel when I am in their glorious presence.

I am never happier than when I have a house full of flowers and the scent hangs on the air. Or when I am in my garden just being present with the smell of lavenders on the breeze.

They are my main source of inspiration because I still cannot fully fathom their exquisite beauty. Eckhart Tolle put it in a nutshell when he said that we could look upon flowers as the enlightenment of plants. I could look upon flowers all day and still be mesmerized. They are a true gift to us and to gaze upon their delicate wonder is to look at the unfolding of pure potential.

Here is an example of one of my floral paintings called ‘Red Poppies – Finding Beauty in Chaos’ from my new portfolio book – the original is still available and can be found in my art brochure 2011, which can be downloaded for free (see sidebar or click here to download):

To read more about what inspires me, please visit  or click on the book below – you can view a full preview of the book (preview button is at the bottom of the book icon on Lulu.com).

Art Portfolio - Cherie Roe DirksenSubscribe here to receive my monthly newsletter and free gift or click ‘sign me up’ in the side-panel to receive blog updates as they are released.

Something Blue…

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Today is going to be a visual blog.  I have taken some of my favourite paintings/artworks with a boisterously, blissful blue hue/theme.

Come take a journey with me, let’s waltz through the world in blue…

I hope you enjoyed this trip with me.

What colour do you like to see in monotone art?  What is your favourite general colour?  Is there any colour you tend to wear more or have the inclination to paint your walls with? Spill those colourful beans!

And I’ll end it off with a blue t-shirt design…

Some More of My Best Selling Art Prints

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If you want to see my top selling art prints then click here.

These are some more of my best selling art prints online.

I love doing the backgrounds for these paintings.  Many people have asked me if it is a stencil – definitely not!  This is all done by hand and no pattern is ever the same.  It is like a fingerprint.

White Poppies

The Poppy Collective was a huge painting, the first large one I ever did of poppies.  It was definitely a challenge to do, especially the background as you can well imagine.  The painting measured 760mm x 920mm.

The Poppy Collective

Sunset Reflections was purchased by my sister and hangs in her bedroom.  It was a marriage between the poppies and the sunset/landscape.

Sunset Reflections

Another poppy painting has made it into the best sellers list ~ Poppies in the Rising Sun.  This particular one was featured on the RedBubble homepage.

Poppies in the Rising Sun

And there you have it — some of my Best Selling Art as Prints and Posters via RedBubble.

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Painting Dolphins

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As promised, in my previous blog about whales (read here), this art blog is going to be about painting dolphins.  As I explained in the ‘Why you have to love whales’ blog – I live in Cape Town and am privileged to see these beautiful mammals expressing their joyous souls on a regular basis.

I have not, sadly, swum with them (yet) – as was the case with the whale – but I have seen pods of dolphins in the False Bay area and what a sight and fuel for inspiration they are!

I have no fantastic tales (or tails) to regale with today so I am simply going to stick to the technical aspects of painting underwater scenes…

The technical side of painting underwater (and no, not physically!)

Dolphins - Cherie Dirksen original paintingPainting underwater scenes are quite involved as they require a lot of layering.  This ‘wash’ of blue that needs to be repeated until the desired effect is achieved, needs time and patience…and I paint in acrylics – for those who paint in oils the process takes even longer as the drying time is slower.

  1. The first layer consists of getting the basic blue background started – then I apply the subject matter.
  2. When that is done the watered-down blue paint wash layering begins until the right monotone colour is produced and ready to go out into the world.
  3. The most rewarding part of this journey is in the varnishing.  As soon as you apply that coat of gloss varnish the painting comes alive and the water looks wet again (like it does when the paint is first set to canvas).

Magnifique!

Perhaps this can give you a better appreciation of how much time and effort (or in some cases, curses and tears) goes into these deceptively tricky aquatic scenes.

Inspiration

With every work of art comes the inspiration behind it.  With this painting, as with the whale painting, I have put it down in the form of a poem.

The Poem 

‘Dolphins – The Spirit of Freedom’

You never let us forget how to love
How to laugh
How to smile
How to be light-hearted

You never let us forget how to be
In the moment
In this space
In this time

You never let us forget about beauty
About simplicity
About friendship
About sincerity

You never let us forget about fun
Being in the heart
Playing with each other
Soaking up the bliss

You never let us forget why we love you so
Why we feel connected
Why you are important
Why you are here

You never let us forget
Who we are
Why we are
When we are

Please never let us forget

If you also have an affinity for dolphins and would like to splash out and have this original painting gracing your wall – click here for details.  I also have a wide variety of products to choose from with this specific dolphin design – for prints, posters and greeting cards click here, for gift ideas click here.

For those of you who still need convincing about how wonderful dolphins are, please do yourself a favour and watch this incredible short video – your heart will melt…go on, you know you want to. 🙂