Painting in Progress

 Hello everyone! This week I wanted to give you all an update on some of the finished paintings and WIPs that are currently cluttering up my apartment and not for sale or commissioned pieces.
Some of them involve more planning than others, and are in various stages of coming to life. I hope you like them! Let's begin-







This first painting I had plotted out to be of a poem surrounded by small cacti, succulents, and monarch butterflies. I never got around to painting it, so the canvas was repurposed and I painted this design on a whim.
You know sometimes when you're in bed trying to sleep, but not asleep yet and you notice patterns in the blank darkness or behind your eyelids? I was noticing that they reminded me of Navajo woven patterns and might look cool as a painting.  

(I haven't decided if I think it looks cool or not, maybe time will tell).













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These are the first tests of a technique I wanted to try that's reminiscent of stained glass or suncatchers, made by filling a 3D acrylic design with lacquer. I consider them moderate successes, and especially useful in pointing out the things I want to fix for the next pieces. I need more practice piping the paint into straight, even lines without odd blobs and thin parts. 

The designs I sketched & traced and then transferred on the prepared backgrounds in chalk

 

 This one surprised me! It was my first attempt with pouring acrylics. I had intended for it to be the background for a still life of textured flowers, but I ended up loving how it turned out and I really didn't want to obscure any of the awesome patterns. The colors are a mix of matte & metallic so it has a cool finish that will look nice hanging on the wall.
I think I'll give it a good coat of varnish so the whole thing has a nice glossy finish before I hang it up in my house.












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 Now for the works in progress- 

       This one is a wavy, colorful background for what's going to be a themed piece in a collaboration with a friend & writer. We'll be exploring the subject of sirens in mythology with paintings, poems, and short stories. Stay tuned for that this fall!

















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Another poured piece, but at the moment only the background of what's planned to be a funky, bright, and hopefully effortless cascade of acrylic drips & swirls. In my head it's reminiscent of diners, milkshakes, and candy shops. We'll have to see if that's how it turns out!

Up in the corner is where I plan on starting the pour, and also coincidentally where I made a mistake early on in the design. Whoops!

















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I hope you enjoyed this peek into my work and the lifestyle of always having projects in progress, being started & completed. And often, reworked and retweaked several times throughout the process. Thanks for reading! Have a good weekend  x