Terribly typical of me, I'm flat out painting 2 paintings for an art competition, and entry forms need to be posted tomorrow morning (to arrive by Friday afternoon) and, most inconveniently I must say, they want to see images of the paintings entered by Friday as well. I say inconvenient because my usual modus operandi is to put in the entry form THEN paint the painting. I HAVE mentioned I'm terminally disorganised before, haven't I?! So I really shouldn't be sitting here, but I do like to come up for air occasionally and read my favourite blogs. I've also mentioned I'm a terrible procrastinator, haven't I?! So I haven't anything new to show, but if all goes well, I will by Friday. In the meantime, I'll pin up some pictures of old works to brighten this post up a little.
I've posted previously about the
small book I made to go with this set of paintings, but haven't actually posted the paintings before, so here they are. 'The Four Elements', all completed in 2007. They were a difficult bunch, very headstrong with VERY definite ideas about how they wished to be depicted. 'Air' particularly gave me a lot of trouble, and I repainted large sections a couple of times. 'Earth' just turned out completely different to how I intended her to, but after the struggle with 'Air' I figured it was best to let her decide. Worked well, I think. I'll probably put these in my Etsy shop as prints sometime soon. The originals were all bought by one lovely lady, who saved up and paid them off in installments.
That's a lot of breasts all lined up!
And, as I'm feeling in a green mood at the moment...a small green man mask.
The pic on the left is a page from my journal, and you can just see the edge of a painting I've stuck in by
Terri Windling. An inspirational painting for me, of a
Green Woman, about keeping our connections to the wild (both outside and inside of us) open and free. You can see the beautiful original (and many more of her beautiful and full-of-magic paintings) at her website here.
Better get back to painting...hopefully my experimental glazes will have dried enough for the next layer!
I'm completely taken with that green man- he is alive, much more so than green men that look like stone sculptures... wonderful. He's so very wild.
ReplyDeleteHappy painting. I have a show - just a few pieces - in October, and haven't even begun to think about what I want to show...
So -- we have Terry Windling in common. Charles de Lint, too? and Charles Vess, too, I bet. If you haven't discovered her yet, I give her to you like a gift, Patricia McKillip. And then there is "The Shape Changer's Wife" by Sharon Shinn, which is atypical of her other works -- not a bad thing, mind, just a heads up -- which, if you haven't read it, I think you would love. The series of books she's perhaps most famous for are about angels. Real ones.
ReplyDeleteFor your eldest, have you considered getting a "used" abridged dictionary (especially if you can find one with pages that have turned dark with age) and using fabric or faux leather to make the cover into something like those old medieval books with bejeweled covers and a clasp (jewerly bits and hidden magnets) and making it into a Book of Magic for your eldest faerie child to consult and find the "charm" that open-sesame's those unknown words? Or conversely, a blank book with wonderful pages whose cover you can "redo" in a similar manner where she can capture those wicked unknown words and ensorcell them by writing them and their meanings into her Grimoire, thus gaining power over them?
And then there is the thought, if she gets too good at reading for herself, perhaps the "you and her reading together" will stop happening?
Ooop. In that last paragraph, I said "the thought" and meant to say "the fear" . . .
ReplyDeleteI loved your elementals when you first posted the book, its nice seeing them in series like that - I especially like the earthen lady, her verdancey and something she has about her gaze...
ReplyDeleteAnd I have a big thing for Green Men too, I have several watching guardian about my house reminding me of wilderness and earth and subtle, powerful growing things...
Best of luck with the art competitions!
Thanks all! Ah Valerianna, are all we artists such terrible procrastinators?! I find a deadline to be wonderful motivation to actually DO something. Carrie, I have a big Green Lady hanging out in my garden, we call her the guardian of the garden. WOL, I've read 2 or 3 Charles De Lints, but just can't quite get into them, maybe it's the urban setting, I'm not sure, they don't quite work for me. I'm not really a fan of Charles Vess, a bit too much comic book style for me, but I have read Patricia McKillip and loved her work. Haven't come across Sharon Shinn, will look out for it. I have to admit, my benchmark is the late, great Robert Holdstock! I LOVE your ideas about dictionaries, my girl is obsessed with notebooks and writing books, and I've just recently made her and her little sister 'Goblin' books as in 'The Spiderwyck Chronicles' which they fill with pictures and writing and pressed flowers and leaves. I think she would love a book of magic words!
ReplyDeleteWow !! I followed a path from Karen DelaBald's site and found you.
ReplyDeleteCool stuff here ! Like it like it like it !!!
There's something oddly intriguing about blue breasts.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get everything sorted out!!!
LH, I went through a 'blue lady' period...well actually, I never left, I'm painting one right now...so I've painted a fair few blue boobs in my time! The paintings are coming along well, I think I'll make the deadline!
ReplyDeleteWhat talent you have!! Abounding!
ReplyDeleteI have a Giveaway right now my 1st! Kind of excited! Come have a looksee. I have faerie houses on it as well. Hope you can make it!
Kind Wishes..
Janet from Singing woods
PS I found you from Rens blog!
First I found you on Facebook...now I have found your wonder-full blog! We are definitely kin! I salute you! Your work is a delight. Warmest wishes, Niki :)
ReplyDelete