Yesterday I painted a congratulatory scallop "card" for a friend who defended her thesis today using watercolor mixed with white gouache. I'll be going to a party to celebrate Dr. Warsha tonight. Her thesis was about scallops, so I went with it. I'm really happy with how it turned out and I think I'll be painting more shells in the future.
On Vacation in Spain
I have been on vacation in Spain, gathering inspiration around every turn. I spent a week in Barcelona, then a weekend in Cadaques, and now I'm in Madrid. For the first two days in Madrid I was ill, but I have made a full recovery and yesterday I was up for exploring Madrid.
While in Madrid, my husband and I are staying with a wonderful Icelandic couple who are here for the same reason we are. He is going to the meetings with Chris, and she and I are having fun exploring. Yesterday we had breakfast at a cafe by the metro stop nearest to our apartment. The fresh squeezed orange juice was divine, as always! Then we wandered around Parque de el Retiro and paused to sit on the grass and draw and paint el Palacio de Cristal as she read a book (1984 in Icelandic). It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon!
Then we went to Reina Sofia, the modern art museum, where I nourished my soul visiting Calder and Rothko and Picasso and van Gogh and Klee, etc. etc. ... I met a new favorite, Lumière, through the hand-colored 1899 silent films called Serpentine Dance. I found a video online. If you don't want to hear someone talking about it and just want to appreciate the beauty, mute it. :)
Shot and hand-colored - frame by frame - at the end of the 19th Century. Still captivating today, but just imagine what it must have been like to watch an image move and transform like this in 1899! A beautiful example of the earliest cinematic ART.
I watched this over and over as it looped on the wall of the gallery. The collection had to do with visual art as poetry, and I understood it so well as I watched her twirl. Also, I want a dress like that. :)
Hope you have a great day! Remember to twirl! :)
April Project: Day 27
I gave myself one hour at the end of the day to paint. I didn't have a plan, but I decided I would do a portrait, and as soon as I started I thought of Frida Kahlo. This is based off of a very colorful photo of her. If you google image search for Frida Kahlo, you will certainly see it. I hurried a lot to paint this quickly, and I wanted to spend more time, but I stuck to my hour of time and I think it is okay. I might have to dedicate a little more time for Frida Kahlo in the future! She is so beautiful and colorful and amazing!
I'll be back tomorrow with something new, so check back soon! :) Thanks for looking!
April Project: Day 25
Hello and Happy Saturday! Today I had so much fun painting wild flowers and weeds on this summer piece. This is as far as I got today. Hope you like it!
I'm simultaneously excited and terrified about painting the ship. We'll see how that goes!
April Project: Day 24
Today is Bjarnheiður's birthday! She is a dear friend of mine here in Reykjavik, and we are about to head out the door to go celebrate with her. She really liked what I had sketched and really loves this song, so I think it's only right that she receive this piece as a present when I am finished with it. Bea, which is a nickname of hers that is far easier to pronounce, is the kindest person I have ever met. She is so sweet and thoughtful, and she deserves a sweet and thoughtful gift. :)
In the little while I had to work on art today, I sketched the flowers, inked the lettering in gold, and erased out as much of the pencil as I could with my kneadable eraser before putting down some watercolor. I already feel a bit daunted by this piece. I have stared at that bottle wondering just how I am going to put a ship in there. I know it is all part of the process, so I think it'll get there.
I'll be back tomorrow with more. :) I hope you like it so far and are enjoying seeing this progress along the way.
April Project: Day 13
Hello, friends! Today I gave myself half an hour to play with my art materials. No planning, no sketching... just spontaneous sloth making! I used watercolor, then gouache, then watercolor crayons I had forgotten I even had, and then pencil. Super fun, super fast, and very playful!
Hope you have a great rest of your Monday! I'll be back tomorrow with something new to share!
April Project: Day 1
Happy Old New Year!
Yes, that's right! It's the New Year's Day of the Julian calendar! It's the day that makes people who are celebrating the new year look like fools, hence April Fool's Day is also today.
Because the old new year is starting, I am making an old new year's resolution. Every single day this month I will post a new piece of art. Please hold me accountable. Not every piece will be something amazing, but rather I am trying to loosen up and play this month. I will set aside some time to be playful and creative and experiment, and I will share it all right here on my blog and on my instagram. Feel free to follow along, friends!
Because of the French tradition of Poisson d'Avril, (April Fish), I have decided to post these watercolor fish I just made. I will likely develop this piece further another day, but to start the old new year right, I simply needed to post whatever I have to show you today! :)
If you want a laugh, look through these... Happy April Fish!
Sloths in Love
I was thrilled when some of my friends in Iceland commissioned this piece for Kika and Martin, an adorable couple getting married in Germany. They had come to a print sale I participated in and had seen my painting of a sloth hanging from a branch. They loved the sloth and they thought of Kika when they saw it, and really thought she would love it. My friends asked if I could create a piece with two sloths, loosely based on the single sloth. I loved the idea and ran with it. This is what the piece with the single sloth looked like.
I am really pleased with how the final turned out. And, my friends were kind enough to give me permission to make the artwork available for sale as prints and products. If you are interested in having this piece customized for a special couple you know, please contact me. I would love to share the love of this piece with other couples by hand-lettering new names beneath the piece. And though it will be a print, it can be one of a kind and personalized.
Next I am hoping someone wants a piece with a sloth couple and a baby sloth. Wouldn't that be adorable? And then, perhaps a mama and baby sloth. Hmm... The possibiities are endless! :)
