10/22/10

with a feather in my hair

TITLE: Long Awaited Arrival With A Feather In Her Hair. The Original Painting + Prints available in my etsy shop.

i've been wondering lately why i just can't seem to paint my girl characters anymore. i had been working on this piece since the beginning of october (and that is eons for me!). i had her unfinished in my studio during open art studios, so people could see what i was working on and where i'd been stuck. 

at one time this girl had long blond braids, then she became a brunette. and then i went into that phase where i wanted my characters to blend with their environments, so she got a huge bear head! the entire background got white and it looked like she was wearing the bear to keep warm. her face was adorable, but everything else (and i wish i had photos) was misplaced. 

that's how she stayed, even while people i'd never met walked in for open art studios. until last friday when i had my photo shoot with the local, student-run magazine, CURB!

now there are a few reasons why my CURB interview is super exciting. i mean i've been lucky enough to be featured on lots and lots of lovely blogs and wrote my articles for crescendoh and somerset (for the jan/feb issue)! all HUGE things to CELEBRATE!

but this is the first time someone else will be writing the entire article (and i'm a bit nervous about that too)! AND it will appear online and in a hardcover issue at the end of november! i did the phone interview a few weeks ago and then the journalist brought a photographer over for a photo shoot! 

outdoor studio

since i often move my studio outside, i thought i'd set everything up in the backyard! we had a super fun time being barefoot AND the photos turned out totally awesome with the fall leaves falling in the background.

then afterward, i left my studio set up and started painting!

TITLE: Long Awaited Arrival With A Feather In Her Hair. The Original Painting + Prints available in my etsy shop.

i'd just told the journalist i wasn't able to paint girls right now. and then i repainted this piece! 

i completely covered the snowy white and what was left of the girl wearing the bear to keep warm. i could still see the texture of her old origami paper dress underneath though, so i worked with that, careful not to cover too much as i filled in her outfit again. then i found parts of her old face peeking through the paint and i filled in what i liked.

somehow i knew she had to have this feather in her hair. to me, she's like this glamorous, flapper girl, appearing out of nowhere, maybe up from the mist or out of the clouds. and somehow, i think that has a lot to do with me finishing this HUGE goal of having my first official interview and photo shoot for a publication. it's like this part of me that has been waiting to be born has finally come to life.

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ps. if you haven't signed up yet, get all of the details for THE GREAT BIG POSTCARD SWAP here!
(sign up closes oct 29)

pps. in case you missed it, i've got a GIVEAWAY for a PRINT OF YOUR CHOICE over on the lovely liv's blog choosing beauty!

14 comments:

  1. She is beautiful, and I LOVE the story behind her :) Very cool.

    Congrats on CURB! That's so exciting!

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  2. She is lovely and yes great story of struggle...love the thought of you outside in your studio and barefeet with the fall leaves falling. have a fabulous weekend xx

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  3. It is always interesting to hear the transitions a painting goes through. She turned out great, love the flower in her hair.

    Congratulations on your article, I can't wait to read it.

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  4. love the feather, wish I had time to do the swap!

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  5. Beautiful piece Juliette! So glad you were able to push through and finish her! :)

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  6. Great reminder that greatness doesn't always happen instantly. Congrats on all of the wonderful things coming your way!

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  7. She's lovely and it's so interesting to hear how she turned out the way she did, it would have been fun to see the photos along the way!

    Congratulations on all your success, this is so exciting!!! Well done!

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  8. I liked this post!!! (every bit of it!)

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  9. I love this story. I am so glad you were able to finish her because she is gorgeous (those intense eyes!!). There is a right time for everything and sometimes you have to wait even years for something to happen when it was meant to.

    Lovely art, blog and blog post!
    I am putting your widget on my blog!
    x

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  10. Love this little girl and the story behind her coming into being. Thanks so much for sharing your process with us. So cool that what is meant to be inevitably emerges!

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  11. awesome! good for you, and big congrats, juliette! :)

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  12. Congrats on all these woderful things!! :) The girl looks amazing. You haven't lost your touch. :)

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  13. All such exciting things and definatly cause for celebration, congrats Juliette.

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Feel free to say hello and ask questions. I would be delighted to hear from you! xo -juliette

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