A Rainbow Touched My Heart...

One day I was driving around running errands and I saw... a rainbow. Only it wasn't a real, prism-in-the-sky kind of rainbow. It was a logo on a local park sign. But I thought it was cool. So I jotted it down in my notebook for future use, and let it go.

But when I was working on this piece recently, the space to the right of my little blond-headed girl needed something. I wasn't sure what. The elements at the top of the page were rather "heavy" which is why I made her dress black... to balance that all out. And i really liked the cloud, so I wanted to keep that element in there somehow. And then I thought of the line in that Andy Grammer song that goes...

"...only rainbows after rain..."

And bing! The multicolored image from my journal popped into my head. And although I was planning to use it with a shooting star... why not a rainbow straight to your heart?

It worked as the perfect element to fill up the space and I loved the story that went along with it...

"The storm passed and then a rainbow touched my heart."

That's kind of how I feel when life hands me something that I didn't think I could handle... and then I get through it and feel so much more empowered. And I thought this was a great visual reminder of that sentiment.

Left-Handed Pinky...

Sometimes I get a creative idea in my head and I must execute it immediately! And such is the case with a recent painting of mine... featuring this adorable little girl I named Pinky.  You see... I wanted to loosen up my style a bit and so I decided to do an entire painting left-handed! I wanted a real folk art feel, so I took several approaches for this personal assignment...

Starting with my usual techniques, I began to create lots and lots of layers. Lots! It's actually pretty funny (and a little scary!) to see where the face begins in this process. It actually looks like a psychopathic fluorescent baby panda, right?

Ahhhhh... a little better with more layers, but still kind of scary without the eyeballs! But I knew in my head where the piece was going, so I let myself trust the process and let it unfold with my non-dominant hand.

For this painting, I used a very, very, very dry brush for all of the strokes. After I put the paint on the brush, I wiped it almost completely dry onto a paper towel. When I changed colors, I didn't re-use that wet brush... I used another dry brush.

It took a long time and required much patience, especially doing it awkwardly left-handed... but the effect was worth it. Lots and lots of yummy layers of colors that highlighted the paintstrokes beneath.

Layers covered. Layers uncovered. Adding more over top. It really was a deliciously delightful process!

The last thing I did was add the polka dots to the background... because I'm an ass-backwards kind of gal... and because I thought it needed a little something subtle. But when I stepped back... I fell in love with her immediately! She was everything I had hoped for in my mind, before I started to paint. And when that actually happens — besides being a miracle in and of itself — I start to believe in myself as an artist. I start to believe that maybe I really can make the things that I see in my head. And I start to want to create more things because I trust myself.

Now that's one left-handed compliment!

True Free Spirit...

I know... I know! I keep mentioning Mindy Lacefield and her online workshops that I've been taking. But that's because PLAY is my word for 2013, and they are just so darn fun, and...  I'm "trying on" lots of new styles in an effort to discover my own. Wheeee!

I had made a practice sketch in my notebook (before putting paint to canvas), but had decided to turn her into a wood burning instead! I love burning wood and it had been awhile. So I transferred my drawing to a wood panel and started my adventure!

Mmmmmm... can you smell the burning wood? Smells just like a campfire! I was totally in my element.

The flowers came about on their own, and the stars were made with a special attachment that came with my wood burning tool. A nice balanced composition was shaping up. Now for some color.

The magic really happened as I started to paint. She began to come alive! I took my time and made a point to enjoy the process, as my perfectionist side does not like to get paint on the wood burnt outlines! So I painted slowly and methodically, choosing colors carefully.

Did someone say pink and teal?

I wanted to add details and embellish the piece and torn vintage music sheets really fit that bill. I aged it a bit using Antique Linen and Tea Dye Distress Inks.

I also added a moon using the music paper, but the print really took away from the composition. So I painted a light wash of white over top to tone it down and that made it blend in much better. A pink ribbon bow on top of her head and she was complete! I love her so much and can't stop looking at her. Creating this piece really brought out my true free spirit! Hooray!