Abstract Oils

There are moments when I think I can see a still frame from the movie inside my head, just a glimpse of an image. In that split second I find an abstract view. The details don't always come to focus until I start working on an abstract piece. This was the case for the fish and the lady bug.

In a Blink of Blue
I saw this fish during yoga! There I am trying not to fall over and all I can picture is this fish swimming by so fast it pushes the green weeds only I saw them in slow motion. Like a crazy action scene in a movie. Fast and slow at the same time. When I got around to drawing him I didn't put his full form in the frame, I had him glance timidly to where we are, the scuba people. A reason I truly enjoy working with my fingers only for oil is that I can create a texture with just the right about of pressure-his scales.

Lady of the Leaf

Lady bugs are cute. I like the spots! What started me on this piece is that I wanted to play with blue tones on leaves. I saw a lady bug on a window sill and she was not a true red. She had an undertone of orange like the sun made her tye dye. She flew off to the bush and left me thinking of dew drops and leaf shadows. 

This piece has a special moment attached to it. When I was with my friend and photographer Carolyn McAfee, her daughter took a liking to this piece. She even drew with colored pencils a mini version of it! For an artist to inspire someone else to create is so amazing, especially a child. I find great joy in memory whenever I see this The Lady of the Leaf. 

If you think having inspiration hit when your bent funny and half upside down is tricky try always getting hit with it while driving. A quirk to my creativity that inspired my next post.