It’s been a while since I’ve put brush to paper, and I really enjoyed painting this one. The yellows, oranges, and pinks in the sky make me think of a warm summer afternoon.
Original painting is available for purchase in my Etsy store. Prints and products like the ones featured below are available at Redbubble.
I love painting in this intuitive style – it’s so calming and peaceful. I started with just some shapes on the page and as I was painting, a theme began to emerge.
You can purchase this original painting in my Etsy store. Prints and other products like the ones featured below are available through Redbubble.
“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 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!
I’ve been enjoying doing some paintings with lots of little details lately. The first is one I started a LONG time ago, but only finished recently, entitled ‘Growth’. This painting includes lots of little details, including some embroidered elements, which is a first for me.
The next two paintings were both inspired by ocean waves. One was done primarily with watercolours, with some ink drawing done afterwards. The other was inspired by zentangles, and I did the patterened sections with a sharpie first before adding the colour with watercolours later.
I’m not sure which one I like best yet, but I’m leaning towards the last one – what are your thoughts?
This week’s prompt on Inspire Me Thursday is “Spain”. Having never had the opportunity to visit Spain, this was a tricky one for me – I was forced to resort to Google.
I typed “Spain scenery” into Google, and this is the first image that I really loved:
This photograph was taken by Graham Pritchard. You can see some of his other photographs here.
I used this photograph as inspiration to paint a watercolour of this beautiful scenery.
As you can see, the painting is not exactly the same as the photograph – I used the photo as a jumping-off point, and let the painting develop in whatever directions felt right to me.