With Forgiveness, Her Heart Blooms

With Forgiveness, Her Heart Blooms. Original (SOLD).
Prints available in my etsy shop.

"If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun." -Katharine Hepburn

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Sometimes a painting takes so many layers before I can pull out the character and find their personality and scene. 

Other times, things fall right into place. But usually that only happens when I'm staying within my comfort zone.

So this painting was a surprise to not only uncover a new style for me, using new techniques, but also to have all of the pieces fit together perfectly by following my instincts.

With Forgiveness, Her Heart Blooms. Original (SOLD).
Prints available in my etsy shop.

When I painted this piece, I'd been painting a lot of owls and girls. 

I was painting a lot, every day, which always helps me know just what supplies and techniques I'm most loving. From there, I can experiment and try new things.

I'd been playing a lot with watercolors and painted pages, so those papers make up the orbs in the sky along with much of her body. Then I added layers of printed tissue papers.

Next I began to define her face. And that's when the character fell into place. I saw her expression in the india ink and oil paint stick marks and once her posture had been defined, her body came into view. 

From there she got her story...  

Travelling lightly, she stops nightly to grow roots, knowing that WITH FORGIVENESS, HER HEART SURVIVES AND BLOOMS.

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ps. Class is in session, but you can still register any time.

Find the details here.