Ringing in 2019 with a lot of pattern work, here's what I've been up to. These paintings take a long time. I'm working on a large painting of an indoor chameleon in an orange room at the moment. Below is a link to my youtube channel to find me in video format, you can see more of the work in progress there.
These paintings are time consuming, I don't think people realize how many hours I spend a day painting. Lately it's been averaging about 3 to 6, sometimes 8 but I'm trying to balance it out with more regular exercise and checking in with people so I don't go physically nor mentally insane. I had carpal tunnel really bad several months ago but then learned about the miracle of massage and physiotherapy and now it has mostly resolved, thankfully! I upkeep doing regular hand stretches and painting with a brace now. People seem to think I was born with talent claiming they could not perform such a task. Maybe I am and maybe I'm not, although practice helps anyone. Regardless some do find it easier than others and some do enjoy the process more than others. I do not find music particularly easy for example, I am tone deaf and despite my enforced hours of piano practice as a child I still have terrible timing. When it came to drawing, painting and anything to do with colours however I seemed to be a natural at. I did spend a lot of time alone and art, origami, colouring books, etc. became a great source of entertainment for that. It is my quiet place although I do constantly listen to music when painting. I have a Spotify account and lately it's been a bit of a wormhole vortex of trip hop/instrumental/ambient beats/chill/ambient zone. Maybe it's music therapy for me. I love painting, I could paint for days, it doesn't matter how tedious the work is as long as I get to recreate the beautiful image that is within my head and share it with the world. Sometimes I fantasize about the perfect crime to commit so I could get myself under house arrest for the condition of painting, but I guess I'd go crazy and I wouldn't want to be a burden on anyone either. Painting is serene but lonesome. I've been watching Raiders of the Lost Art on Netflix, stories about artists and their lives and pieces of art that have gotten stolen only to boast the legacy of their careers. Although by this time they are usually long dead : ( Several died penniless, alone and forgotten from the world until years, sometimes decades to centuries after they died. They seemed to work mostly in isolation or circulated within a small group of like minded individuals but the masses did not catch on until years later. I thought it interesting.
Anyhoo, a painting secretly left the market a month ago but I kept it a secret as it was a surprise anniversary gift for someone and I didn't want to blow the secret! I touched up the photo a bit so it looks better online than it has in the past although nothing beats the real thing..
Eyeball Vase acrylic on canvas 16 x 20 x 1.5 inches 2015
What an honour to be embedded in the story of 2 weirdos who found each other! This is actually 1 of my favourite paintings, although at the risk of sounding narcissistic, that list grows longer by the year. I like to try new things, evolve and expand on ideas as they come about. Some work out better than others, however they've also become quite subjective and my mind changes over time. What pleases me most may not please you. I was really happy with the way this one turned out when I finished it.
1 of my darker tone paintings, I paint in bright colours too but I like to experiment. I wanted to keep this one dark. This vase of flowers has come alive it appears, eyeball included. All my paintings have an object, creature or thing looking back at the viewer. I wonder what it means, are they all self portraits one way or the other? I didn't intentionally do this, someone had to point it out to me, for some reason, subconsciously I never feel a painting is complete until I've addressed the viewer, or is it myself as I am painting it?
More questions than answers here. I added a tail to help it get around. I didn't want it to feel stuck in a place so I gave it a sense of agency. I have a day job too, I'm a visiting nurse, performing nursing acts and teaching people how to take care of themselves, giving people a sense of agency to go on about their lives, I wonder if the 2 are connected. I hope the new owner likes it, it's sitting appreciated somewhere I am sure. How strange it is to part with a painting. It is nice though, knowing I have a place in someone else's home somewhere. Like my mind is expanding, mysteriously in the dark somewhere. It is my belief the painting comes alive in the dark when no one's looking and the lights go off, and if you stare at it long enough it winks!
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