“Subterranean 2” is an original abstract watercolour painting, inspired by layers of sedimentary rock and earth. It is a larger version of a much smaller painting I did a few years ago. The original painting is now SOLD – but you can find prints and products like the ones below at Redbubble. Or, if you’re interested in something similar, please get in touch for a commission!
This week’s topic over at Illustration Friday is Immovable. The first idea that came to me was stone – but then I got to thinking that even stone isn’t really immovable. Sure, it might take a long time but even stone is worn away by weathering and water. So that was my inspiration for this painting – stone being worn down by water:
Please forgive the horrible photo – I took it at night without flash so it’s pretty grainy. I’ll try to upload a better version when I get time to take a good daylight photo – but that probably won’t be till the weekend and I didn’t want to miss out on Illustration Friday!
One of my favourite books of all time is First Light by Richard Preston, which is about the Hale Telescope (and is a fascinating read for anyone interested in astronomy). One of the passages that stuck with me was this:
“There is a saying among those who polish astronomical mirrors for a living that an optician never finishes a mirror – you take it away from him.”
I think that pretty much sums up how a painting like this is for me – I can’t guarantee the picture above is the final version because every time I walk past it I think about adding another brush stroke here or there, another layer or another detail.
I managed to remember to take pictures as I went for this one – here’s how it looked as it progressed:
What do you think?
It’s Easter time again already. Easter means three things to me – family, holidays and CHOCOLATE!
I am notorious for having pretty much no willpower when it comes to chocolate. But it’s not just the edible kind I love! I love warm and inviting chocolate brown as a colour, too.
Here are some of my favourite chocolate brown items from Etsy:
From left to right and top to bottom:
1. The chotto tote/messenger in chocolate brown by Christy studio. It’s practical, stylish and comfortable to carry, and the chocolate brown colour would go with so many outfits!
2. Small chocolate flower hair pin by Princess Allure. Add a little feminine style to your outfit with this pretty hair pin! Each petal has been handcrafted using chocolate coloured satin, and it features three Swarovski crystals in the centre.
3. Chocolate rose necklace by Heather Berry. Chocolate brown faux pearls have been hand linked together and decorated with a creamy rose and filigree medallion. This pretty feminine necklace would go beautifully with the cardigan I’ve featured!
4. Chocolate Jar by TC Art. This doesn’t quite fit in to the rest of my theme which are all wearable items, but it is so cute I couldn’t resist including it! I’m a sucker for little jars and knick-knacks. How cute would this be filled with a few little chocolates?
5. Upcycled Cardigan – Chocolate Cookie by Caroline Joy. I just love the idea of upcycled vintage – it’s great for the environment and means you will have a completely unique item for your wardrobe. This cardigan is a great example of that – its a modern look using a rescued sweater.
6. Walk Tall vintage chocolate brown high heeled boots by Planet Claire Vintage. I LOVE LOVE LOVE these boots! I would definitely have snapped them up myself already if I didn’t have the feet of a giantess (they’re a size 5).
I hope you’ve enjoyed my selection of chocolate goodness this weekend! Please let me know what you think of the new format, too (i.e. putting all the pictures at the top together instead of spacing them out).
Have a safe and happy Easter!
This week’s topic over at Illustration Friday is “Subterranean”. My immediate thought was of layers of rock under the ground. This was my inspiration for this litte abstract watercolour, which I’m (not surprisingly) calling “Subterranean”.
