A change of face

I am back. I think.... This piece is one that went through some major transformations as I worked on it moving from a very realistic rendering of an iris to this more abstract shadow version. I love painting and drawing faces. There is a magic to watching a face materialize out of paint and paper. I like seeing who shows up when I begin shading and detailing. Sometimes it is an old friend and then there are times when I am just amazed to see someone I've never even dreamed of..not that I remember dreaming of, anyway. But it is nice to do something a little different every once in awhile. I enjoyed working on this one because it was not a face and I could step outside my usual set of answers and explore some different kinds of processes in both paint and thought.

The recent loses in my life are making me want to do something a little different in many areas of my life. I am eating differently: more fresh food, fruits, nuts, salads but that happens with the seasons. I am trying different rhythms to my day; softer clothing. Maybe I just need to take care of myself a bit more. I am trying some herbal and ayurvedic remedies. I know I need to make myself get out the door a bit more so I am cleaning up the yard and contemplating taking a sketch book outdoors and working outside. Sun and fresh air are always good for what ails me.

In the studio, I am wandering back to my mother-in-laws collection of porcelain teacups. I painted them as still lifes quite a bit in watercolor and enjoyed working with the pretty shapes and colors, adding whimsical touches such as candy bunnies and toy birds. I am not quite sure why these things seem to look well together to me, but they do. I'll be posting my latest piece with one of these little pretties in the near future.....it just needs a bit more detail and it's done. Hopefully I'll get back to posting more often and sharing my artwork.

My mandala class has been canceled, but we have rescheduled it as a workshop on June 26 for $35..a good price for free art supplies and three hours of class. Check your calenders and the Masterpeace website at www.masterpeacestudios.org.