We're right in the middle of this journey, I hope you've been enjoying it! You can see the previous parts here: Part I: College Era Part II: Ocean Period Today's section of the Journey Collection is pivotal for my ideas and mindset as I was figuring out what kind of art I wanted to create! There's just one problem, though . . . Part of this period is MISSING. How?? It's missing because it was all commissions! So I'll be sharing pictures of those important pieces, but none of them will be for sale, unfortunately. (However, I'm cooking up a really fun work-around -- keep reading to find out!)
"Lady of the Wood"
Oil on canvas 16x20", unframed
We had just moved away from Virginia Beach up to Maryland, and I was finally pursuing art full-time. Most of my work was still freelance illustration, and I think you can see some of that influence in this painting; a little bit fantasy, with a combination of reference pictures into one completed piece.
I still use this technique today; I'll compile several different reference photos, and my first sketches and color studies will likely be on photoshop (for ease of change).
This is also one of the last oil paintings I did for personal work, as I really fell in love with watercolor with the next pieces.
"Consciousness", "Cognizance", and "Ingenue"
11x14" watercolor
Each of these paintings was part of my very first collection, the "Dreamers" series. It was a huge step forward for me, combining my love of portraiture with images of animals and nature, as well as an attempt at giving portraits a specific deeper meaning.
"Consciousness" is obviously still very influenced by our time near the ocean in Virginia, and is also techinically a self-portrait, as I used myself as the model! This one is focusing on the depth of the mind.
"Cognizance" was really fun; I had never painted crystals before, and loved the sharp imagery juxtaposed with the softness of her expression. It speaks about the clarity of the creative mind.
"Ingenue" is all about play. Coral reefs are super magical to me, and there is something so sweet about seahorses. I had a lot of fun using contrasting colors in this one to really make it sing, as well as hoping to inspire some ingenuity.
Wedding Bouquets
At the same time I was working on my "Dreamers", I had also started painting wedding bouquets as commissions! I was not a flower-girl before this - in fact, I barely had any flowers in my own wedding bouquet, I liked them so little. But when I decided to paint my poor bouquet (which had withered and crumbled with our last move), I discovered how a painting could elevate the memory of those flowers.
I fell in love!
Painting bouquets taught me I could love painting flowers, and it was at this time that I also started researching flower meanings, and learning more about the Victorian Language of Flowers. This was HUGE for my next season of work!
As I said above, I don't have any bouquets to actually have for sale in the Journey Collection, but I came up with a better idea; I'll be opening up just a few bouquet commission spots, for those of you who would like your own wedding bouquet captured and memorialized.
Next week, we'll be looking at the beginning of the "Inner World" focus of my work! See you then!