My latest piece is a celestial depiction of a star collapsing into a black hole. The star is made of reams of silver and gold metallic paint. I used blending and pouring techniques to combine the dark and light areas.
The above shot was taken as the first layer of the piece dried. You can see the reflection of my light in the surface of the poured blue acrylic.
The endless abyss of blue holds a dark depth at its heart, and you can almost see the ghost-like human face that sits in the background like an echo.
Thank you all for your comments, and as always, thank you for visiting.
My latest work has two parts. I spent twice the usual amount of time to paint these two pieces at the same time. My goal here was to use the same colour scheme to carry across two landscapes.
In the end, I created “Terror Beach” (right) and “Call out to the Universe” (left).
When set side by side, the sweeping brush strokes seem to begin in the lower right hand corner and fly out to the left.
The dripping violet that emerges from the conical horizon in “Terror Beach” creates an eerie setting. There is a ghostly apparition of a sun or moon above the mountains that does little to illuminate the texture rich darkness that encroaches from the eastern skyline. And yet, somehow, there is a mysterious shape below the waters that edge the mountainous horizon.
“Call Out to the Universe” has a similar mysterious message; begging the question of who calls out to whom in the vast emptiness? An unfamiliar object is answering the call.
This recent work was a thrill for me. I enjoyed the story telling aspect as much as creating the actual painting itself.
You can check out the listing for sale on my Etsy page by clicking here.
Recently, I completed a commissioned art work that features green, silver, and blue acrylic.
Remembering the old advice I received once: “If you want to be good at something you must always practice, practice practice!”
As a result, I have been using store bought canvas for my day to day practice. When I am ready to create a higher quality piece, I still prefer to use the canvas that I custom make. When I make my own canvas I use 100% heavy cotton canvas, I stretch it over thick 2 x inch wood, and I triple prime the canvas with gesso.
Unless an artist is paying for the highest premium canvas available, the level of quality I get from making my own canvas is unparalleled. As I have mentioned before, when an artist is unrestricted by the high costs of supplies and materials their creativity is able to reach heights that the average person can only dream of.
That being said, my latest commissioned work:
This untitled piece is 10 x 10 inches and has been painted on store bought canvas.
It is essentially a blend of colours with sharp splatters of silver. This piece is very abstract and was mainly a focus of colour composition rather than form.
It is a slight departure from my usual work, but I really enjoyed the way it developed.
It is October and Autumn is upon us in Ontario Canada, yet my latest artwork has a warm tropical vibe.
It reminds me of a golden coral reef scattered across a perfect tropical sea. As with all of my art, I encourage discussion regarding what is depicted in the painting. Abstract art has the opportunity to become much more personal to the viewer/owner when there are no constrictions on the concept of what is being depicted.
The gold and iridescent turquoise in this work provides for a reflective surface, and so depending on the point of incidence (the angle at which the light hits the surface) the vibrancy of the colours can be increased or diminished.
This is a very special piece. It exhibits texture, reflective surface, and an abstract representation of shapes. With a beautiful frame, this piece would add a serene calmness to any cherished space.
I frequently represent the sun in my art work. It adds a heavy presence and deep meaning to my art. Sometimes the subject is an abstract of an earthly landscape, and other times not. One of the things that I enjoy the most about creating art is the feedback I get from other people describing what they see. Art is truly as subjective as they say, and so I think the meaning, impression and other descriptors of a piece must change depending on who is looking. I love the sun. To me, my latest work is an island sun.
Such a beautiful combination to have blue, green and yellow splashes representing the sun.
This 13 x 13 inch acrylic on gallery canvas is called Clarendon, and is the latest of my Fall 2018 series.
I have continued my emerging style of blending acrylic colours on handmade canvas. I know that mellow blues and greens are more popular with my customers, but I am often drawn toward bright orange and neon colours.
I will likely have fewer opportunities to experiment with various mediums- so my work will focus on expanding this emerging style.
Thank you for stopping by, and be sure to check out more of my Fall 2018 artwork this season.
Do you want to create personal fashion that is cutting edge? Do you fancy the idea of people stopping to compliment your unique style so much that it gets mistaken for something from a runway fashion show? Here are some helpful tips to have your personal fashion designs noticed and featured on trend blogs.
Photo by Godisable Jacob on Pexels.com
Be as daring as possible.
Many times what sets the fashion of Alexander Wang vs another label like Joe Fresh is the willingness to be daring and approach a conventional garment with fresh eyes.
Admirers will say “Wow, I had never thought about that before!”, and you may have trend watchers considering your design as a novel concept all together.
Tip: Be creative with garment closures and embellishments. Approach them in an unconventional way.
Photo by Alexandra Maria on Pexels.com
Colour is your friend
Even if the folkways dictate that your colour scheme clashes- continue on. Softer hues can often take the edge off, and don’t forget to consult the almighty colour wheel to see if a “bluer” tinge to your steely grey could give the effect you are looking for.
One trend we are watching this year in 2018 in home decor is eclecticism. Eclectic trends allow you to mix a contemporary lamp with a mid-century modern side table- or floral pink and yellow peonies against a dark navy backdrop.
Tip: Have fun with colour, and when in doubt, go back to the first tip!
Photo by Fancycrave.com on Pexels.com
Emulate scarcity and promote luxury in your runway style fashion design
Ever notice how much Crocodile and snake skin bags can go for? Somehow, the manufacturers use small amount of this material and price their items very high. The underlying idea here is that as a luxury material, there is not enough crocodile and snake skin to go around. But really, the numbers of these animals in the wild is astonishing. Not an unending resource by any means, but more than enough for the cost of my wallet to be 75% cheaper.
When making your runway style fashion design, another strategy is to use a material that is super to begin with, and that exudes the feel of luxury. Then use a small amount of it to emphasize the delicate nature of the material, and to covertly express the exclusive nature of having access to it. Think about most of the clothing you have ever seen made with raw silk. Mostly lingerie, scarves or other small items are made from raw silk- and you will rarely ever see a large garment. The idea here is to think exclusive, original, and not cheap.
Tip: Skimp on the quantity of materials, but use high end quality and make it finely.
Photo by Nicolas Postiglioni on Pexels.com
There you have it!
Create your own runway-style personal fashion that will have trend watchers thinking “Was that resort Balmain 2019?”, or better.
The island of Madeira in the evening is truly a sight to see; especially in the southern cities of Machico and Funchal.
The city is beautifully lit at night. There aren’t many tall structures that break up the landscape, and the winding mountain roads make for interesting patterns when lit.
The water’s edge of Machico is always a romantic spot…
…the camera is a little out of focus for night shots.
But it makes the view seem even more warm and enchanting.
East of the condominium in Funchal was a gem of a restaurant called O Lagar Restaurant.
In Canada the day after Christmas is known as Boxing day. In Madiera, it is considered part of the Christmas Holiday. Everyone is still relaxing and visiting their family; and the streets are calm.
We were invited by cousins of my husband to enjoy espetada in a family style dinner. The atmosphere was happy and the decor was festive.
The entrance of the restaurant was styled as a traditional Portuguese Santana house.
This portion of the restaurant served as a museum.
A view into the Santana from the entrance. This traditional style of home is often known as “grandma’s house”.
Notice the very small furniture pieces. A bed, night table, and baby crib. Notice the roof is made from grass like material.
Two mannequins posing in traditional Portuguese dress.
A Beautiful Madeira Wood Table.
The main entrance was decorated to the nines with lively poinsettia plants for the holiday.
Home to a beautiful set of botanical gardens, Nossa Senhora do Monte is found North West of Funchal in Madeira, Portugal.
View of Madeira from the church at Our Lady of the Mountain
My last post on Madeira featured some of the sights around the park that is found at the foot of the main church. You can take a look by clicking {here}.
We took the cable car up to this beautiful vista on this occasion. Earlier in our trip, we walked the streets on Christmas Day in Madeira. This made for a quieter, secluded, and much more romantic tour of the area as very few people were around.
This second visit was taken closer to the end of our trip- when the days were becoming half filled with rain. Fortunately, we arrived to the Mountain after the rain had passed.
The flight of stairs leading up to the church was exhilarating!
Statue of Charles I
We did not stay for the church service that was about to begin. I was happy to have climbed my way to the top of the mountain to enter the church vestibule, but I would have fallen asleep if I tried to sit through a church service at 8 months pregnant.
So we enjoyed the views from the courtyard, and just admired the beauty of creation from afar.
It is easy to see why I left my heart here in Madeira.
Read more stories and photos from Madeira, Portugal by Stephanie by clicking the following links!
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