“From behind her shoulder, from beneath her hair, the playful pretence of bashfulness. The fabrication is evident on her lips, in her mane, in the air which she breathes. Her true self-possession is delicious. She is candy and chocolate. Wistfully sweet and utterly addictive.” Calliope by Tanya Marie Reeves

 

Name

For this series, rather than selecting names of deities from myths and legends or those from the literal meaning of the name, I have decided   to go with names that I have came across over the years, which I had thought to be quite unique and rather beautiful.

 

Details

22 July 2019
H1016 x W1016mm - 40x40in
Acrylic on stretched Canvas
Original Sold

WIP

I really wanted to change things up, wanting to create something fresh, and yet still be true to my style. There are always three basic catalysts to my aesthetics; Exaggerated power-poses of women, contrasting lines and shapes and of course bold, brilliant, saturated colour… and I don’t want to stray from these. But how can I do things differently… and yet the same? 

I honestly have no clue what prompted the idea of not simply using block colours but actually blocking the colours… Creating colour schemes of only 3-5 selections and literally squaring off segments of the artwork specifically for tints of the one colour. I loved the concept!

I was still quite scared to start this piece though. I haven’t had the greatest success creating this year (despite some fabulous ideas, lol) and I absolutely loved my sketch up… I was so afraid I’d mess it up! 

Ugh… sooooooooo. Many. Layers. A necessary evil of my process unfortunately. It wasn’t until “orange” was complete before I started to have some hope… “pink” kept me on the fence… “green” go me down and excited and a run for a touch-down when I finished with “brown”.

I really love the outcome. I was worried when I showed my daughter the image and there was no excitement with a “she looks really nice” smile. My son on the other hand has named her as his new favourite. Funny, how different my two children are; the dark brown is my daughters least favourite part, yet my sons’ best block for choice… A HUGE smack-in-the-face reminder to me that I don’t need to please everyone. “Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” - Andy Warhol

 

COLOUR WONDERS FYI

Orange is a fun colour. Flamboyant, dynamic and radiates warmth. A close relative to red, the energy of orange is gentler and more restrained. Orange uplifts, gives confidence and always injects fun.

Flamboyance, Determination, Warmth, Success, Stimulation

Pink can be useful fun and exciting. Toning down the passion of red with the purity of white, results in a light tender colour associated with romance, sweetness and happiness. Brighter pinks are youthful, fun, and exciting, while vibrant pinks have the same high energy as red; they are sensual and passionate without being too aggressive.

Feminine, Sweetness, Healthy, Romantic, Innocent

Green is everywhere. It’s the most common color in the natural world. It’s the color we associate with money, the environment, and aliens, and it’s the color of revitalisation and rebirth.

Refreshing, Renewal, Peace, Calming, Verdant, Nature, Health, Growth

Brown says stability, reliability, and approachability. It is the color of our earth and is associated with all things natural or organic.

Stability, Solid, Reliable, Wistful, Approachable, Dependability