Sapphire Eclipse

July 14th, 2011

I’m now less than a week away from my estimated due date, waiting for the birth of my second child, and I’ve just finished this huge 3-panel panorama painting!

It’s 20″ x 60″ (each panel is 20″ x 20″) Oil on Canvas.

I wanted to paint the magical feeling I have in my life right now, on the cusp of a pivotal moment. I chose a palette of lovely cool blues, greens and violets, to represent fresh night air, green living things, and the glittering diamond effect of a star-strewn sky.

It’s called Sapphire Eclipse.

Here are close-ups of the 3 separate panels.

Some details that I especially love. The eclipse itself:

This little cluster of trees, dreamily backlit:

And the 4 birds in flight. To me, they symbolize my family, soon to be 4 of us–Our 4 spirits flying together through life. (Corny, I know, but hey it’s my painting.) :)

Here’s what this painting looks like in a room:

I probably won’t update again until sometime after Baby’s arrival, then I’ll be on maternity leave for a few months and will return to my work in a gradual way. So if you don’t hear from me, I’m still here, just preoccupied! And as always you may email me with any questions or comments, and I will reply as I’m able.

Wish me luck as I embark on the next phase of the adventure that is motherhood!

Eclipse II

May 10th, 2011

After my last eclipse painting, I decided I had to explore eclipses further–such a dramatic, awe-inspiring subject!

Here is Eclipse II, Oil on Canvas, the smallest painting in the Cosmic Dance series so far at 20″ x 20″. (Most of that series is very large scale!)

I had the color scheme in my mind before I had planned the design for this one–dark, inky blue-greens in the sky with ochre tones in the billowy clouds and browns in the foreground.

The corona of the sun bursting out from behind the moon is so bright and striking, and really stands out in the sky!

I love the “loose” feeling of the brush strokes in this one (a result of working quicker because it’s a smaller scale.) When I was painting the forms of the clouds they emerged freely and naturally on the canvas.

The paint is quite thick in some places, showing the brush strokes, as you can see here:

Here’s what this painting might look like when displayed!

Already dreaming of more eclipses…

Eclipse

April 18th, 2011

Here’s one more in the Cosmic Dance series. I’ve been wanting to paint a solar eclipse for a long time!

Eclipse

30 x 30″, Oil on Canvas

I chose an earthy, opulent color scheme for this one–golds, browns, and grayish violets.

I wanted to capture the moment right before total solar eclipse, when that blinding corona of light bursts out from behind the black silhouetted disc of the moon, and the last bit of gleaming light peeks around the edge to create the “diamond ring effect.”

In reality, during a total eclipse the sky would have the appearance of nighttime, but I didn’t want to make the painting too dark and I wanted it to remain colorful–so I imagine the light golden parts of the sky near the horizon represent the glow of the sun reflecting off the atmosphere, coming from the part of the Earth not yet shadowed by the eclipse. These paintings are not meant to be astronomically correct, only to transmit the wonder of the moment!

The many bright stars sparkle throughout the sky, scattered through the depths of space.

Colorful clouds swirl in constant movement, and I kept it purposely ambiguous as to whether they are clouds of moisture in the Earth’s atmosphere or distant clouds of galactic dust and debris.

I have not yet witnessed a total solar eclipse in person, so this illustration is only from my imagination and from what I have seen in photos of the event. Epic, mind-blowing!

 

Stardust

April 3rd, 2011

My newest painting is whimsical, romantic, and beautiful.

Stardust

30 x 30″, Oil on Canvas

Hazy reflective clouds of stardust are scattered across the heavens, hence the title.

A softly glowing moon.

The atmosphere moves in waves and ripples. Brilliant stars shine out of the depths of space.

Maybe my favorite part: the birds near the horizon spread their wings beside a silhouetted spring tree. The dance of life!

Here’s a shot, taken from the bottom of the painting, that shows the painting continuing onto the 1.5″ deep gallery-wrapped edges of the canvas.

Here’s what this painting looks like in a room!

Stellar Inferno

March 26th, 2011

Here’s my newest work in the Cosmic Dance Series. I really love it!

Stellar Inferno

36 x 42″, Oil on Canvas

Yes, the colors really are this intense in real life! This is a little bit of a departure from my usual style in this series, with the large masses of glowing light and the sheer brightness of it! But I think it still fits in with the rest of the series.

The blazing bright glow of the many large and brilliant stars overwhelms the sky.

After I painted the detail in this top left corner, I was inspired by how much this part looked like the flames of a fire. This led me to the painting’s title.

Clouds of light and streams of color combine to form atmospheric drama.

Hovering near the horizon of deep green hills is a calm and humble full moon. She watches the spectacular show spread out above her.

This painting, like all of my recent work, is on a gallery-wrapped canvas with the painting continuing around the edges.

Here’s what it looks like in a room.

 

Ascension

February 21st, 2011

Thanks to all who have ordered sunflower magnets so far. I’m happy to report that I’m all caught up on shipments so if you’ve ordered magnets, you’ll get them soon! These magnets are way better quality than any I’ve had made before, and they’re really beautiful. My son loves sticking them on our fridge! I’m glad I decided to have them made.

Now, my new gigantic painting! This one is very uplifting and inspiring.

Ascension

40″ x 50″, Oil on Canvas

This painting shows a glowing light rising from the horizon, behind the silhouettes of trees.

The trees point upwards into the sky like a row of living arrows.

The glowing light rises up into billowing clouds in the shape of wings spread in flight.

Deep crimson and orange colors fill the sky behind the clouds. As you look higher into the heavens, the sky becomes dark and inky.

The highlight of the sky is a distant galaxy glowing bright.

Spinning away from this galaxy are clusters of young stars strewn across space like jewels.

The flock of birds flying up into the center of the painting is symbolic of the whole feeling I wanted to capture: the joyous, boundless feeling of ascension. Rising from Earth (or whatever strange planet this may be) into the heavens.

Here are a couple examples of how this painting might look when displayed in a home setting:

Many Galaxies

November 21st, 2010

Many Galaxies

Oil on Canvas, 40″ x 50″ x 1.5″

The sun washes over the contours of the mountains and brings their colors to life.

Light combines with vapor to create streaming plumes across the vast sky.

Out in the depths of space, billions of stars are clumped and swirling together under the force of gravity to form countless scattered galaxies.

The lights burn vividly through the darkness.

So many distant, twinkling stars seen from the earth–how many more are unseen?

We stand captivated in wonder at the mystery and the beauty of such infinite and faraway masses.

Here’s what this painting might look like in a room:

Like all of my paintings, this painting is gallery-wrapped with the painting continuing onto the sides of the canvas.

In non-art-related news, I just got a new (to me) car!  An ’04 Subaru Outback, the ultimate “mom car.”  So far I very much love it!  We have sold 2 of our old cars, the Lexus GS400 and the Jeep Cherokee, and I’m in the process of also selling my Nissan 240SX.  If the number of cars sounds excessive, that’s because it is.  The hazards of being married to a gearhead: always too many cars around.  Replacing 3 old cars with one super-reliable newish one that meets all my needs feels really good!

Isn’t it beautiful?

And of course every mom car must have family stickers:

From left to right: Myself (with palette and brush), my toddler Blazington (toddling), my most darling husband (showing Blazington how to work a remote control truck, of course), Blake Dog, and finally her feline majesty, Quani.

Cosmic Dance III

June 17th, 2010

As I promised yesterday, here is a good photo of my new painting.

Cosmic Dance III.

It’s 40″ x 50″, Oil on Canvas, Gallery-Wrapped.

Here are some detail shots:

Distant galaxy, comets, sparkling stars.

Powerful, brilliant fiery sun.

Purple mountain majesty.  Sun-kissed land.

Mysterious, gentle moon.

Cosmic Sun Art: Solar Radiance

March 29th, 2010

Solar Radiance

36″ x 42″, Oil on Canvas.

Watch me painting it!

Details:

Like all of my paintings, this is on a gallery-wrapped canvas with the painting continuing onto the sides.

Here’s what it looks like in a room:

Celestial Flirtation

January 13th, 2010

Here’s the new addition to my Cosmic Dance series:

Celestial Flirtation

24 x 30″, Oil on Canvas

The sun and the moon are performing a flirtatious dance as they pass each other in the sky, the “arms” of their light playfully reaching.

The light from the sky kisses the horizon with a touch of white.

Stars glow throughout the sky.  In this corner of the painting, the stars are created by a fun splattering of thick paint which reminds me of a meteor shower.

This painting would add color to any room!

I’ll be making more Cosmic Dance paintings like this one in the coming months.  And right now I’m working on continuing the Sunflower Heart series–so stay tuned for more new work!

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