Dream Heart
Dream Heart – Digital Painting – Soft pastel variant of pastels & Soft charcoal variant of charcoal – 6 x 7 inches
I had no other desire or plan for this painting except for creating a heart with a spiral inside it. All the rest came from somewhere within my subconscious mind, where half glimpsed worlds of strange beings flitted past the corner of my eye and brilliant bold colors begged to be splashed onto the canvas.
I worked for two straight days on this piece and all I want to do right now is sleep.
For the past couple of nights I’ve had strange dreams, the one dream image which stands out from the others, is where I find myself standing on a hillside overlooking a valley where hundreds of women and children are gathered together, carrying buckets and rags.
Everywhere I looked, I saw oil seeping up out of the earth.
I used Painter 7 and Painter IX to paint Dream Heart.
Kuan Yin Collage
Here’s my latest creation.
I created the digital collage above using Photoshop and Painter IX.
I started by taking a photo of one of my Kuan Yin statues with a digital camera. Then I loaded it into Photoshop and tweaked it a bit.
Next I created the background using Painter IX. I played around with color and texture until I came up with the image above, then I merged all the layers together, and added text to the image in Photoshop.
Kuan Yin is not generally regarded as a goddess, but rather a Bodhisattva. A Bodhisattva, is a being destined for full enlightenment and nirvana who, out of compassion for the suffering of other beings, has taken a vow to postpone his or her entry into nirvana in order to remain in the world to help other beings. She who hears the cries of the world represents the virtues of compassion, mercy, forgiveness and faith.
“True compassion is not forged at a distance from pain but in its fires. We do not always have a solution for suffering. We cannot always fix pain. However, we can find the commitment to stay connected and to listen deeply. Compassion does not always demand heroic acts or great words. In the times of darkest distress, what is most deeply needed is the fearless presence of a person who can be wholeheartedly receptive.” She Who Hears the Cries of the World, by Christina Feldman,.
Friday
I spent this evening working on this digital collage. For the background I used an image that I created a while back and added some detail with ink and pastels.
Next I digitally enhanced the image of an angel statue and layered pastel and ink details over three separate images and then merged them together. This collage was created with Painter IX and Photoshop.
Later on I may add some distressed text and numbers, but first I will need to create them. I guess there is no rest for the weary!…
Passage to Heaven – Digital Collage – 8 X 10 inches
“Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.” – Eskimo Proverb
Lady Of The Lake
The Lady of the Lake painting is finally finished. I used Painter IX, the only program on the market that can simulate what traditional painting mediums can do.
First I used a customized pencil to draw the woman and sword with scabbard. Then I created a new layer and began laying in color, working on this layer allowed me to preserve my original sketch. Once I liked what I saw, I then flattened the image and began painting directly onto the original canvas.
At this point using customized soft charcoal, pastel, and oil brushes, I painted the woman and background. Then I finished the piece by adding detail and highlights
This painting took me somewhere between 20 to 35 hours to complete.
Lady of the Lake – Combined Media – 11 X 14 inches
Lady of the Lake’s Sword with Scabbard
The lady of the lake is an archetypal figure in the Arthurian legend, and known as Vivian, Nimue, Niniane, and sometimes as Morgan le Fay. She was also Merlin’s lover and rival and was credited with bewitching him.
The lady of the lake is best known for gifting the sword Excalibur to Arthur. Excalibur’s scabbard was said to have magical powers of it’s own, and was stolen by Morgan le Fay and thrown into a lake, never to be found again.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, described the sword in his poem “Morte d’Arthur”, later written as “The Passing of Arthur”, one of the Idylls of the king.
It’s Friday!
After a full day of painting, I decided to clean my studio, and get ready for the month of June. So here’s to a new month of new beginnings, inspiration, and creativity.
Have a Great Weekend!
Angel Of Love by Rose Arizmendi (c) 2008- Collage/Combined Media
“Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.”
–Joseph Addison
“Most of a woman’s depressions, ennuis, and wandering confusions are caused by a severely restricted soul-life in which innovation, impulse, and creation are restricted or forbidden. Women receive enormous impulse to act from the creative force.”
–Clarissa Pinkola Estes
“We don’t remember the dream,
but the dream remembers us.”
–Linda Pastan
Inspiration
I spent most of the day working in the studio and managed to get quite a bit done. I prepped a new canvas, and layered in more color on another work in progress.
As I was working, I kept thinking about the meaning behind the word “inspiration”. To inspire, bring about the arousal of the mind to unusual activity or creativity. What inspires creativity? Is it learning something new? I’m not sure what inspires creativity, however, when it strikes I feel excited and passionate about expressing it through color and line.
This evening the inspiration bug hit, and I worked on the digital collage below. The background was created by laying in some watercolor on a blank canvas, then I began painting the figure on a separate layer with watercolor & pastels. Next I merged the painted layers and added text.
Divine Mother by Rose Arizmendi (C) 2008 – Collage/Combined Media
“Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon. A happiness weapon. A beauty bomb. And every time a crisis developed, we would launch one. It would explode high in the air – explode softly – and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air. Floating down to earth – boxes of Crayolas. And we wouldn’t go cheap, either – not little boxes of eight. Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in. With silver and gold and copper, magenta and peach and lime, amber and umber and all the rest. And people would smile and get a little funny look on their faces and cover the world with their imagination.”
Another Busy Day
Although it has been a busy couple of days, I did manage to work on my painting. I still haven’t decided what to do with the crystal ball.
Maybe tomorrow inspiration will strike, or maybe not. I still have a ways to go before it is finished, which gives me plenty of time to figure it out.
The Awakening – Combined Media on Canvas – 11 X 14 inches
“Whatsoever that be within us that feels, thinks, desires, and animates, is something celestial, divine, and consequently, imperishable.” – Aristotle
“There is a desire deep within the soul which drives man from the seen to the unseen, to philosophy and to the divine.” – Kahlil Gibran
Beautiful Weekend
We had a beautiful weekend, the sun was shining, and we hit the mid-80’s. Saturday, when we got back home from running errands, we were able to take our dog out for awhile so he could run, play, and snooze in the grass. He is such a sweetheart!
On Sunday, I went to the Gem Faire and had a great time looking for beads and such. I was completely worn out and tired by the time I got home. lol
Since I didn’t have any time to paint over the weekend, I began working on “The Awakening” early this morning. I still have a long way to go but at least I made some progress today.
The Awakening – Combined Media on Canvas- 11 X 14 inches
From a Sketch to a Painting
Today I’m turning the previous post of a sketch into a painting. I began by blocking out the whole painting into tonal groups. I also added a crystal ball and started working on the head and body.
When working in Painter IX, I am able to add layers to the original under painting and work on these individually until I like what I see. Afterwards, I merge the layers with the original canvas and my painting is finished.
Tomorrow I plan on working on the background, hair, and clothing. My paintings can take a few weeks to several months to complete, depending on how large or complex they are.
The Awakening – Combined Media on Canvas – 11 X 14 inches