I forgot to post another large painting that I did, this time, just for myself. After breaking the ice with the large piece I did for my grandmother, I was left with a ton of very large paper upon which to doodle. So, I started small (with the little turtle) and let it develop from there. This was excruciating capturing the detail, but extremely rewarding to create something with the rich reflections and underwater colors.
Over the past month I have experimented with a medium that I have never pursued before…or rather, a type of art composition. I’ve been fascinated with certain illustrators that use collage as their preferred way to present a story and I’m struck by the beauty in the simplistic shapes, the bold colors, and the “folksy” look that results. I’m a beginner with collage, but have created these two pieces to give away to a couple of people who have experienced a tragedy recently in their life.
In addition to butterflies and outdoors, I’ve done a couple of doodles of animals, also to give to people needing a pick-me-up, over the past year. These are all done in gouache and bring me a bit of a smile.
Back in February, my mother asked me to consider painting something for her mom. She wanted something that was nature-focused and would help bring back memories of the her time spent in the woods before she became unable to camp and fish and enjoy the outdoors. The challenge was that she wanted a specific size to fill in a spot on her living room wall. I have largely painted small things because of the time needed to put in the detail, etc. Consequently, this project ended up taking a lot of time. Here are a few pictures of the process, starting first with pen and ink, and then moving into watercolor for the filling in.
I really liked how it came out, particularly the little details (see the small detail of the grass), but mostly I enjoyed the process knowing it would allow my grandma to look at it and reflect upon good days experienced in the past when she was able to be outdoors, listening to the crackling of a morning fire, sipping her warm drink with grandpa.
It has been over a year since I last posted something on this website, and frankly, I’m shocked. I have been actively producing things here and there, but haven’t really taken the time to broadcast it or share. I thought I would make a few entries to post some of the things that I have created since then and I’ll start with more butterflies.
Hands down, I have enjoyed painting and cutting out butterflies the most over the last year. There is something spectacular about the varied patterns and colors in nature. I love the lessons that can be taught about perseverance, transformation, growth and struggle from the life cycle of a moth or of a butterfly…there’s so much to be gleaned from the observation of these wonderful creatures.
Here’s a slew of butterflies that I have painted and given away to various people over the past year:
