Beauty and the Beasts

   

It's been an odd summer, too short, after our last aggressive Winter.  Thankfully full of good work, a strange mixture of a continuing body of land/water scapes of my favorite places, and equally absorbing mural work of an entirely different nature...  

Beauty:

                         

The start of a painting of our family place in Maine

                                 

                                              

A favorite birch off the dock

And the Beasts.....

                 

          

                

          

                                  

           

 

         A progressive look at the first two 5x9 foot canvasses of a 9x17 foot mural of an epic battle 

         scene, incorporating characters from years of Lord of the Rings series, Sci-fi, and comic books.

         The basic art direction on this was "The scarier, the better",  and so it goes.....

         A work in progress with Kate Gennelly,  mine generally on the left, and Kate's on the right.

     

  

Mom

A few pictures of my Mom's life and artistry....

Tussie Mussies for dear guests

Loon carved by Mom

A Dark Place

I am currently working on sketches for a 9x17 foot mural of an epic battle scene.  In this burgeoning Spring  season of sweetness and light, being in a darker place has been difficult.  So to warm up,  I took a journey down the road less, and darkly travelled for last month's GJWP challenge theme of "Bride", and did "Elsa".  Black and white film images so very lovely....

                                   

and white film so very lovely.....

Reflection

This month's GJWP challenge topic was "Marsh", a delightful and very personal one for me, as I grew up on, and continue to live with one as my daily breath taking and changing view.   This is a twilight view of my favorite pattern of banks and rivers from my family dining room window...

                                   

  

Almost There

Here is the finished and distressed master copy of "The Creation", tacked into place, and awaiting scaffolding so we can safely adhere it to the wall....  

       

Painting God, progress

An update of progress on our master copy of "The Creation"....  This has been challenging and very enjoyable;  studying the beautiful swirling oval around God, the subtle edges, the lost and found of it.

Pretty funny when my husband calls to check in, and I can say, I'm painting the hand of God, or glazing Adam's ribs...  

                               

                 

         

Master Copy

My mural partner Kate Gennelly and I have been commissioned to do a master copy of

"The Creation" by Michelangelo, 9'x6', it's fairly large, but a fraction of the size of the original, that curves majestically upward at the center of the Sistine Chapel ceiling.  It's for the base of a large vertical space that flanks a stairwell that goes up three floors.  We're enjoying the work, and of course, learning a lot in the process!                

         

        

         

  

Shown here are the initial drawing in water soluble crayon and nupastels, sealed in with acrylic medium with some color washes, and then the beginning of the block in phase, when more opaque colors are applied.  We paint about three hours at each end, and then switch for the next few to keep it interesting....  Stay tuned folks.

                                     

       

Dungeons and Dragons

The concept of this room places the viewer in the midst of castle ruins, with dragons keeping vigil over their treasure within.  What I did was to provide distant views as a backdrop for Kate Gennelly's Dragons, trompe mantelpiece, Falcons and stonework, and piles of treasure at the base boards.

   

       

     

 

Baby on Board

This is my effort for our girlsjustwannapaint.blogspot.com February challenge theme, Love;  A 6x6 acrylic titled "baby on Board".  I had the good fortune to see the loons carrying their young for their first ventures out on open water, from the relative safety of their nest in a small swamp at one end of Watchic lake in Maine.  It keeps the tiny babies safe from turtles and the like, and Is really one of the most charming sights...

           

      

          

Resort in a Room

Artwork for The door to a tanning room previously shown, in context with a flanking wall, following the intention of creating an endless tropical vista in a small space....

                                             

                                     

     

 

Why Jump , When One Could Fly?

                                  

                                      

My faimily and I had some recent passings, and also the birth of a beautiful baby boy,  so I've been revisiting an earlier piece about flight and places in the imagination, and thinking about energies that are born with all of us,  and live on after....

Fresh Start

Sometimes I really love the start of a piece;  The drawing and wash in phase, so much that I want to leave it alone for awhile.  In the early morning on this lake in Maine, mist rises and moves with the flow of air over the surface;  It reduces everything to the essence of it's form, and is the most incredible way to start the day in contemplation with a cup of something warm.

Wilson!

It's even colder today relative to this area, so I'm going on another balmy journey in my head and out through the brush in a mural.  We like to add elements of humor, and nods to popular culture sometimes, so here is "Castaway" character Wilson, happily found again; Washed up at the foot of the base of a tanning room door.

                                     

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Happy New Year

Holy Cow 2014 was a fast year!  Fortunately full of interesting and gainful work for me, and I feel most grateful.  I spent my first day of the New Year putting my studio back in order, and unearthed all kinds of projects to finish, and wonderful reference I'd forgotten.  Alas, the rest of the house, and two elderly dogs needing a "fluff and buff" await...

Here is lucky "Holy Cow VII",  based on the first one I ever did, on a custom cigar box made for a friend for Christmas.  On my bucket list are some done life size!

A Happy, Healthy, and inspirational new year to you and yours,  Regards,  Tori