Dragonfly’s Discovery

Here is “Dragonfly’s Discovery!”

The color gradient in the background goes from deep violet shadow at the bottom to bright scarlet and yellow at the top. This makes me imagine the orbs are rising slowly upwards as they float through the space. As I painted it, I was thinking of the symbolism of the Lotus, the light part of our human nature rising above the dark.

Dragonfly's Discovery. 24" x 36", Oil on Canvas, © 2016 Cedar Lee
Dragonfly’s Discovery. 24″ x 36″, Oil on Canvas, © 2016 Cedar Lee

In this colorful abstract fantasy world, a happy little dragonfly flits about through spiral shapes and orbs of light, zeroing in on this pair of lush blossoming flowers.

It feels like a joyful celebration!

Detail: Dragonfly's Discovery. 24" x 36", Oil on Canvas, © 2016 Cedar Lee

The composition of the two lotus flowers is similar to the twin blooms from my painting “Lotus Bubbles,” while the spiral shapes, orbs of light, circles or dots, however you choose to see them, are a motif I’ve played with in some of my previous paintings, especially “Glow Within.” I’ve incorporated a similar motif into the foreground of my Tree of Life painting”Seed Moon Rising.” And looking back, I realized that I did something similar in this cat portrait I painted almost 10 years ago!

Detail: Dragonfly's Discovery. 24" x 36", Oil on Canvas, © 2016 Cedar Lee
Detail: Dragonfly’s Discovery. 24″ x 36″, Oil on Canvas, © 2016 Cedar Lee
Detail: Dragonfly's Discovery. 24" x 36", Oil on Canvas, © 2016 Cedar Lee
Detail: Dragonfly’s Discovery. 24″ x 36″, Oil on Canvas, © 2016 Cedar Lee
Detail: Dragonfly's Discovery. 24" x 36", Oil on Canvas, © 2016 Cedar Lee
Detail: Dragonfly’s Discovery. 24″ x 36″, Oil on Canvas, © 2016 Cedar Lee

2 feet high and 3 feet across, this is a large painting. The edges of the canvas are extra deep, so the painting comes out away from the wall more than most wall art you’ll see. I’ve created very thick paint texture with cold wax medium and palette knives. These features combine with the bold red, gold and white color scheme to give this painting a dramatic impact!

Detail: Dragonfly's Discovery. 24" x 36", Oil on Canvas, © 2016 Cedar Lee
Detail: Dragonfly’s Discovery. 24″ x 36″, Oil on Canvas, © 2016 Cedar Lee

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