Hey there! If you're reading this journal, you're probably either subscribed to my newsletter or you've seen my art at the Island Art Association Gallery in Fernandina Beach! (If you aren't subscribed to my newsletter and would like to be, you can subscribe here.)
Below is a behind-the-scenes look at my entries to the Nouveau Art Show.
"THE MUSE"
Last art show, I got last minute inspiration to create a piece of artwork. This time around was a little different. I had an idea--I wanted to use lightning--and I played with the idea for a week or so, trying to get the composition right. My original idea was not my final idea; I had mentally fleshed out a scene of lightning striking a tree. However, inspiration struck differently. I saw, while working on my novel, a scene of my character Venatrix dancing and bending backwards. That was the motivation I needed. I sat down and started to work.
The idea of having Venatrix be "touching" the lightning came from a poem I wrote in March 2021. I often feel like my inspiration is like a strike of lightning--swift and powerful and jarring. The poem also expresses how I feel my inspiration, my muse, and my talent all comes from God. I sometimes feel like my writing and art is being made through me, rather than by me.
When I went to frame this piece, I knew I wanted to have the original poem on the image by way of torn paper scraps. I chose to take the original written poem, make a photo copy, and carefully tear around the edges of the words. I kept the original lightning drawing from the poem and continued the strike of lighting with it. The contrast between the light and dark colors, the digital and traditional media made me very happy with the outcome. The final piece looks like this:
"YOU UNRAVEL ME"
I would like to make a quick shoutout to my grandfather in this post as he has sponsored me to become a member of the Amelia Island Art Assosiation. Because of this, I was able to create two entries for this art show.
My second piece was something I knew I wanted to do. My characters Venatrix and Orion were designed to contrast each other in a lot of ways--colors included. I wanted to emphasize this contrast in the image, so I decided to draw them face to face with ribbon unraveling around them. While drawing, I constantly rotated the image, which made me unsure which way I would orient the final picture.
This created the idea for a rotating, circle frame. I brainstormed this idea on a page and showed it to my boyfriend (who is an engineer-in-training). He was able to figure out how my idea would work realistically, 3D modeled the frame, then 3D printed the frame for me. This was so exiting to see come to life. I will be adding a photo of the completed frame to this journal after it is hung in the show.
If you are interested in seeing these pieces in person, they will be hung at the Island Art Assocciation Gallery during the months of August and September. The gallery is located at 18 N 2nd St, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034.
I hope you've enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look. If you'd like to know more about my work, feel free to check out my author page and a sneak peek at my illustrated fantasy book series, Angels' Compass.
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