Destiny?

I can almost remember the day about 3 years ago, when I made the decision to become an artist full time. Little did I know the journey it would send me on.
It happens to be a one way ticket kinda decision, because doing what I do now, there is no way I could go back to a regular life. Ever!
Not because of any other reason than, it's impossible. Art has captured my soul, and set me free. Now, where it will all end, is another story. I put myself in for the long haul, and in some ways, I'm not actually too concerned on whether I "make it" per se.
It's the journey I have set myself on, and it is where the the real adventure lies to my mind.
Times are tough , as they can be for many other artists, and I have to see it out to the end wherever I land up.
It has certainly given me a different perspective to my old life of before, and even though I don't have the money I once had, I wouldn't change any of it for the world.
This is my life now, and there can never be a way back to my old normality.
This is what makes me feel alive, and somewhere deep, deep, deep inside me, I know I'm gonna be alright.Somehow!
This is the life I have chosen for myself, and I bless every day for the opportunity to be able to do so.
Only one life to live, and succeed or fail, then at least I will be doing it on my terms.
Amen!

What Inspiration

I have no idea what inspired this painting.I'm not even sure what it means to me, or what I was thinking at the time.It just sort of popped up and developed itself from the ether.

That happens sometime, I just start doodling, and playing about with ideas, and the subconcious part of me takes over.

Inspiration can creep up out of nowhere, and the painting or sketch takes on a life of it's own.

Cause and Effect

The last 12 months of my life have been, in short, rather turbulent to say the very least. Life has taken me down a route I could have hardly anticipated in any form. There's a saying "Life is what happens while you're busy making plans". How true I have found that concept.

It is easy to sit back and take everything, in the role of the victim, but then, I was never brought up that way. Some things just have to be accepted, and when you're pushed to the floor, the only thing to do is to just stand right back up again, dust oneself down, and continue the march forward.

That's exactly what I do, or rather exactly what I have done. When the light starts to appear once again at the other side of the tunnel that I have been forced through, I know it has been worth the effort to keep on moving forward.

Optimism is a glorious gift to have possession of.

It has impacted on my journey as an artist without doubt. By all accounts my work should be mirroring a darker or more maudlin tone.But it hasn't though.

It's brought my work to a more brighter and happier place. Perhaps because in my mind, optimism does a strange thing to one's psyche. For me, it empowers me, and lifts me because I am forced to look deep inside the well of my resources, and access parts of me that otherwise I would never have known existed.

It builds ones character, and gives depth to ones personality.

Tempered steel is strong for a reason. Defeat in anything is only a mindset that allows such a dastardly outcome.

If my work is to follow a brighter path of hope, then let life, throw it's worst at me.I will cope with anything, and allow me to continue to bring out the best in myself to it's full glory.

Simplicity

I love this piece for it's simplicity. Life is complicated enough as it is. Well my life anyhow.

Hearts are a universal symbol, and as such, certainly for me, they speak volumes in any piece of work. Sure, they are open to interpretation, but even so the base message is always prominent.

Why is one heart orange? What does that signify? Actually in this piece it doesn't mean anything.

It was coloured as such to break up the block of red from the adjoining hearts and also acts as an anchor in a triangulation of the other yellow/orange elements in the painting. It also contrasts well with the larger blue passage. It has been used as merely a colour device.

Sometimes a composition will dictate requisite colours and tones.

I believe in Love

I believe in love.Not just because I want to.But, because I have to.Otherwise, for me there is no purpose in anything. It drives me.In my relationships.In my work.Without it, life is stagnant, and barren.At times, when there was every reason to abandon that pursuit, I could never give up on it. Persist with it at all costs.Open oneself to it. The rewards are immense.There is no other path.Despite the thorns that catch on the heart at times, a clearing will always appear to the persistent traveller. But, it is the journey that enriches. Much more than the view itself! Yes.I believe in Love.

Anatomy Of A Painting

I had painted a similar style piece like this before, but wanted a larger and slightly more complex composition this time.

In the first photo you can see the original drawing sketched onto the paper.In deciding the composition, I was acutely aware of the negative space surrounding the hearts pouring from the chimneys, so I needed that space to be able to support them spatially.

A low horizon punctuated with the houses and trees ties the sky and land area together.I feel this works well.

After masking out the hearts and trees, I quickly brushed in th sky, keeping it simple so not to confuse the busy hearts in the sky.Masking allows to keep fluid and wet washes for the sky.Also when the masking fluid is removed it takes the sheen off the paper, allowing the washes placed afterwards, to saturate the area with more strength.

I next paint the houses,as they are a lighter element, allowing me to guage the background hills and hearts, later on, for more high impact visuals.

With the front lawn areas painted in, the trees and hearts are ready to have the masking fluid removed,leaving lovely pristine paper to be painted upon. I made the lawn areas green to contrast with the dominance of reds in the painting.The yellow/orange of the trees actually act as a colour bridge to the hearts above in a more flowing manner.

The hearts were going to be painted in 3 different hues with the Red ones in the middle,as they were to dominate.The right hand hearts were a link to the distant hills and to the middle section of hearts colourwise. The yellow/orange hearts give
a slight contract, and echo the trees with in the painting.

Could I have done anything better.Well, yes! Lots of things actually, but that's a secret I won't be sharing with you.I will learn, and grow from yet another experience, getting better as I go.