It’s early Autumn here, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it! We are still having summer weather. I love the feeling of a cool early morning breeze in early spring I get from this painting.
You can purchase this original painting from my Etsy store. Prints and products like the ones featured below are available at Redbubble.
In case you can’t already tell, I love painting trees! I especially love painting trees in a whimsical, rather than true-to-life, way. Sometimes this manifests as swirling branches:
I love painting in lots of different ways – it means I never get bored. Which style is your favourite?
You can purchase my original painting Autumn Tempus from my Etsy store. Prints and products like the ones featured below are available from Redbubble.
I called this painting ‘contemplation’ because this style of painting is very meditative to me. I never know what the finished painting is going to be like when I begin – I just go with the flow, and see where the paint takes me. I love this combination of colours!
You can purchase this original painting in my Etsy store. Prints and other products like the ones featured below are available on Redbubble.
You can purchase these original paintings from my Etsy store. You can find prints and other products like the ones below on Redbubble.
This week’s prompt over at Illustration Friday is ‘Hair’. This is the perfect opportunity to show you two of my newest paintings! Both of these paintings include figures with long, flowing hair – at least, that’s what I see!
As I explained on a previous blog post, I’ve been experimenting with a new abstract painting technique. I start with an image that is purely abstract – I work wet-on-wet on the paper, use lots of paint and water and allow the paint to ‘flow’ in the direction it wants to go (sometimes I help it along). I add textural elements such as gauze, and then I allow the first layer to dry. After it has dried, I start adding more layers, and then an image begins to form – almost like a Rorschach test! As the image begins to form, I help it along by adding in details with a fine brush. In the end, I find the painting isn’t so abstract anymore.
In this first painting, I saw a female figure, floating on her back in the water. I imagined her as some kind of sea goddess, and gave her long, flowing hair. My 3-year-old son still says it looks like a jellyfish though, and points out the ‘tentacles’! I like that about abstract art – people can see in it what they want to. We all bring something of ourselves to the art we view.
In the second image, I also saw figures in the water. This time, I saw two figures and imagined them having tails – so they became mermaids. I added some scales, and like the sea goddess, long flowing hair.
What do you see in the images? Do you see the figures that I see? Do you see a jellyfish like my son does, or do you see something else?
The original paintings Sea Goddess and Drifting Together are available for purchase in my Etsy store. Prints and other products including clothing and accessories are available at Redbubble and Society6. Interested in receiving a little bit of art in your mailbox every month? Become a supporter of KL Bailey Art on Patreon!
Looks like I’ve missed a few of the Two Happy Stampers colour challenges. I’m determined to create a painting based on September’s colours though.
In the meantime, here are some beautiful items from around Etsy which fit into the colour scheme:
1. I’m happy to say that we’re moving out of scarf weather here in Queensland, and into beautiful spring! But for those of you in places which are still a bit frosty (or moving into the colder weather), this gorgeous scarf would be perfect! I’m tempted to get one for myself and stash it away for next winter. Very feminine and pretty, it was hand crocheted by Ayca in gorgeous pear-coloured mohair blend yarn.
2. I made the mistake of searching for “vintage” in my quest to find a really great chocolate brown item for this post. I don’t know why I do it to myself! I invariably find gorgeous shoes that DON’T FIT ME. I swear I found about 6 pairs of shoes I absolutely loved but none of them were in my size! My favourites of all were these vintage chocolate brown suede heels from Folie A DeuxVintage. Trust me I would be buying them intead of posting about them if they were in my size! Incidentally, Folie a Deax means “a madness shared by two” – although I think more than two of us share a madness for vintage!
3. I love butterflies, so I couldn’t go past these beautiful Burgandy Victorian Butterfly earrings by Tigerfli. They’re quite large earrings but would still be very light to wear. Big and bold yet still dainty and feminine. They look fantastic on, check out the pictures in the listing.
4. These South Sea Shell Pearl earrings by Realisation Creations are most definitely pretty in pink! Elegant and pretty, they would make a beautiful accent to any outfit. I love the little extra touches in these handmade earrings like the pretty gold swirls on the earwires.
Many thanks to Heidi and Adriel from Two Happy Stampers for providing the inspiration for this post! Stay tuned for a painting using this colour combination… I’m thinking about combining it with this week’s Illustration Friday topic, “Dessert”. Hmmm…
We’ve had a few very chilly nights here in sunny Qld lately – certainly no snow though! But, as I’m heading off to the Snowy Mountains for a skiing holiday soon I’ve got snow on the brain. Especially as they haven’t had much snow yet this season. Let’s hope these snowy handmade beauties from Etsy will send the right message out into the universe – let it SNOW!
Left to right and top to bottom:
1. Snowflake etched stirling silver earrings by Jenna Appleton. These are the perfect winter accessory! I love the delicate snowlakes and the hexagon shaped stirling silver.
2. Snow Crystals Bridal Necklace by the Beautiful Garden Boutique. This necklace is so elegant and pretty! It’s advertised as bridal jewellery, but I think it would also be stunning worn with an evening gown and a pair of matching earrings. You could even use it to dress up more casual outfits – a very versatile piece!
3. Hoop Framed Wall Hanging – Snow in the Forest by Caitlin Sainio. Isn’t this pretty? It features three hand crocheted snowflakes mounted on a forest green background. And I love the title, “Snow in the Forest” – it conjures up all kinds of peaceful images of large flakes of snow falling on trees.
4. Snowy Queen Blue Icicle Mystic Quartz marquis CZ Earrings by Blue Tulip Designs. I love the way these elegant earrings have just the slightest tinge of blue to them. And they’re on sale at the moment, so how could you resist?
5. Snow Queen Tattoo Tights by Tattoo Socks and More. These are just the coolest thing ever! I love this idea. Make sure you check out the Tattoo Socks Etsy store, as there are lots of other cool designs like butterflies, swirls and peacock feathers.
6. Snowy Tree Notepad by Jennifer Boston. I fell in love with this stunningly pretty notepad featuring a tree being dusted by glittery snow before I even realised who had created it. I get most of my supplies for pendant making from Jennifer’s supplies store, The Crafty Dragonfly. So, I can personally vouch for the friendly, personal service, quick delivery and careful packaging which have made me keep visiting her store.
I hope these beautiful items have put you in a snowy kind of mood – even if you’re in a part of the world where it’s summer right now. I’ll post up a pic of me in the snow when I get back from my holiday, and who knows, maybe I’ll come up with some of my own snow inspired art too!
I’ve always been fascinated by the stars – I love looking up at the night sky, especially when I’m away from the city and the artificial light no longer dims the stars. One of my favourite childhood memories is that of looking through a neighbour’s telescope. So it’s not surprising that stars feature heavily in my artwork. Nor is it a surprise that some of my favourite Etsy items are star-themed as well. Here are a few of them:
From top to bottom, left to right:
1. Starry Night Cobalt Glass and Silver Charm Bracelet by Trash and Trinkets. This charm bracelet features the prettiest shade of blue, along with star and moon charms.
2. Stellar Stream – Indigo/Gray Freeform Crochet Necklace by Irregular expressions. I am in LOVE with this necklace! I love the title ‘Stellar Stream’, and it really does bring up memories of seeing the milky way clearly emblazoned across the sky. Best of all, it’s totally unique!
3. Starry Night Serving / Pasta Dish by Spinster Sisters Pottery. This dish is so pretty it almost seems a shame to put food on it! Glazed in midnight blue with white crystal stars, it would make a wonderful centerpiece to the table.
4. The Original Velvet Purple Candileria by Blue Room Pottery. How cool are these? I can just imagine how pretty a room would look lit by candlelight filtered through one of these beauties, stars playing against the walls.
5. Starry Night Necklace Lapis Lazuli, Pyrite, Sterling Silver by Red Chair. If you were to trap the night sky in a string of pearls, I think it would look something like this. This stunning necklace features lapis lazuli beads, blue as the night sky, offset by the shine of Pyrite.
6. Starry Night Embroidered Cloth Napkins by Monkey Beetle. These simple, elegant and beautiful napkins would add a little starlight to any dinner table. You can even get a glow-in-the-dark version!
Earlier this week I wrote about the Two Happy Stampers Colour Challenge. When stuck for ideas for a theme for my Saturday Selections this week, I thought why not take the colour challenge that little bit further, and find some lovely items from Etsy featuring Coral, Teal, White and Navy?
Here’s what I found:
Top to bottom, left to right:
1. Mermaid Twist Earrings by Gypsy’s Closet. Simple but elegant and beautiful, these earrings feature a coral bead and aqua chalcedony briolette connected by a gold twisted loop.
2. Royal Blue Earrings by Designs by Tisha. These are just stunning. The Morrocan silver plated filligree drops are so pretty, and are set off beautifully by a blue Czech fire polished crystal.
3. Navy Blue Pillow Cover with Cherry Blossoms by Sassy Pillows. I love the way the navy background on this pillow sets off the pretty coral, green and white cherry blossoms.
4. Lotus Favorite Mug by YogaGoat. Most of us have a favourite mug or cup – the one you always reach for when you need that cup of tea or coffee. I can easily see this mug becoming someone’s favourite – I love the coral lotus flower design, and the little thumb rests on the top of the handles.
5. Unique Summer Garden Necklace by You and Me and Bead. Isn’t this necklace just so pretty? It features a coral coloured flower with little antiqued brass branches and soft teal green freshwater pearls.
6. Turquoise and Ivory Traditions Damask Table Runner by Darling Occasions. I love table runners – they’re a great way to create a feature of your table, and tie in the colours of the room, without covering up the whole table like a tablecloth does. This pretty runner would be a great centerpiece to any dining table. I love the way it’s been paired with the white vases in this photograph, too.
I think I still have one more idea up my sleeve for this colour challenge, so stay tuned…
We’ve had a bit of a rainy week this week (in fact it is raining as I write this!), so I thought I’d do a rain themed Saturday Selections of my favourite items from around Etsy.
First up is this awesome stainless steel raindrop necklace with brain contours titled ‘bRain‘ by Morphologica. Perfect for a geek girl like me!
My next rainy-day favourite is this cute set of “Rainy Day, Time to Play” gift cards from Red Letter Studio. They would make lovely gift cards for a rainy day, or someone who’s young (or young at heart!) and loves to play in the rain:
I just *love* this print by Kathy Panton entitled simply “Rain”. I love the mix of colours and the way the paint seems to flow across the paper. I sat and stared at this one for a while! It’s easy to see why it made Etsy’s front page.
Finally, I’d like to include this print entitled “Kiss Under the Rain” by Afremov Art. I’ve admired this artist for a while on Deviantart, and only just found him on Etsy. The way he uses light and colour is so unique and beautiful!
Hope you all have a great week, and remember how good the rain is for the garden (and the farmers!), if not for getting the washing dry.
Prefer the sunshine to the rain? Check out my latest post on Handmade Spark, Tropical Holiday.