Always An Artist
Feedback from Elizabeth Hancock
I’ve always been an artist. As a young girl I used to enjoy drawing and mixing the real with the imaginary. I think creatively and am always attracted to all kinds of art expression.
I’ve always wanted to experiment with oils. They are intimidating, complex, yet forgiving and soft. There is so much variety to an oil painting’s creation which really attracts me.
I’d love to learn to paint like the Old Masters with precision, control, confidence, and beauty. I know that if I can learn the proper techniques this medium will be very rewarding for me!
I think the “contemporary old master” is Dali – He is my favorite as his style is old world technique with contemporay surrealism.
My favourite artist is Caravaggio – use of light is pristine and the capture of movement and emotion is impressive
My main challenges in art are glazing, blending colors, understanding colors and how to use in different opacity/blending.
I also want to know how to create life like figures that are rich and complex coupled with fine detail and smooth polished finish.
Glad to see you are painting again and exploring the creative side of your mind in a physical form. I like the element of motion and the central draw into the picture. Could you explain what the concept of the repeating shapes?
I look forward to seeing your future works.
~A
Looks great! I’m impressed. You always were the talented one 🙂
Love this painting and i am really glad you are taking the time to finally get back into it. I have always loved your work and i look forward to seeing more like this one. The best thing is that you are very passionate with everything you do. Keep up the great work and good luck.
Nice work! This design reminds me of Celtic art and symbolism marking the evolution of mankind beginning with the core and expanding outwardly. I visited Newgrange in Ireland a few years back. Newgrange has been hugely influential in many modern people’s interpretation of spirals. I believe the spirals are “representative of the cycle of rebirth or as a symbol of a mother goddess, who in recent times has been strongly associated with underground chambers, which are interpreted as symbolic wombs.” I am interested in what your concept was in painting this? Enjoy painting!
Hello All!
Thank you so much for commenting on my painting. It’s the first thing I’ve painting in more than 6 years! My original concept was to paint a Mandala. In fact, the underpainting is completely different from what you see here….
When the first layer dried, I had found other inspiration in a fractal design. This was infinitely more complex and I was very much challenged by this new concept. After mixing colors and gradients for this second layer I quickly realized I was in over my head – a fractal; though beautiful was much too challenging for a neophyte oil painter like myself.
After going back and forth I decided to do my own ‘thing’ with the inspiration of the fractal geometry in my mind. What you see is the preliminary work.
I never knew of either the ‘God is Listening’ symbology in modern culture, nor the Celtic symbolism of spirals representing cycles of rebirth.
I’m so touched that others resonate with the spiritual significance without me even mentioning my inspiration! Thank you all for your lovely and supportive comments. Fingers crossed!
Liz, it is good to see you painting again. I enjoyed all of the works you did years ago. You have a lot of talent.