Start-to-Finish Photo’s: Painting Abstract Underwater Scenes

Posted on February 15, 2021 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

I haven’t painted for a while as I’ve been concentrating more on my graphic design work. But a couple of weeks ago I felt the creative bug bite me in the derrier, I just had to get my hands dirty.

I recently watched My Octopus Teacher (I highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it yet). It was filmed just around the corner from where I grew up. The spectacular cinematography got me all inspired. So without much ado, let me show you the photographic process of my double painting duo, “Tentacle Soiree“:

I had a really great time experimenting with the different metals and foils I used in these pieces. The finished paintings are below and available to purchase – just click on the picture below or HERE.

Thanks for coming with me on this octopuses garden journey!

Other blogs you may enjoy:

‘Dancing in the Void’ — Pink Floyd Rock Art Painting No.4 Photographs

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

I feel like so much time has lapsed since the last painting was revealed (Jeff Buckley — ‘Raw’).

The reason being is that this one has had me flying down the rabbit hole with no parachute. What a frightfully corrosive yet beautifully healing journey this one turned out to be!

“If you drink much from a bottle marked ‘poison’ it is certain to disagree with you sooner or later.” — Alice in Wonderland

I am going to divulge all the juicy details of the emotional journey in next weeks blog. What took me from going to war with my painting — violently spraying ‘bullet’ holes to making paper aeroplanes — and finally moving in to soften and balance the gaping hole of feminine and masculine energies?

You’ll have to wait and see…but for now:

Avoidance

This blog is just going to take you, from start to finish, through the pictorial process of the painting in the making.

I called this one ‘Dancing in the Void’ (or a-void-dance — cool little breakdown of that word, eh?).

And then finally, one late night (as you can see by the darker shades of the photograph)…I finished it!

Here is the final product:

‘Dancing in the Void’ (or ‘A-void-dance’) — Pink Floyd Rock Art

by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Acrylic and Mixed Media on Boxed Canvas

30″ x 30″ x 1.5″

Please come back next week for the inspiration behind the painting involving a lot of blood, sweat and tears and why this painting was my most challenging yet in the series.

Read the next blog…

Painting Pink Floyd — Soldiering Through the Minefield of Emotion

You can recap on ALL the articles in the Rock Art Series here:

10 Bands, 10 Paintings…Let the Rock Art Begin!

The Grand Band Reveal is Today!

Radiohead — A Teaser Pictorial ‘Rock Art’ Peek

What Radiohead Looks Like Through The End of My Brush

Song Playlist — Radiohead Albums That Made The Art

Rock Art Series — The Beatles

What The Beatles Look Like From the End of my Paintbrush

Rock Art Series Painting no. 3 — Jeff Buckley ‘Raw’

How I Got ‘Raw’ With Jeff Buckley

A Look Behind the Scenes — Painting an Abstract Landscape

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

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 Cherie Roe Dirksen

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!