Friday 30 December 2011

Mimi

This is the last day of the year and what a wonderful beginning! I managed to create something new and even finish it (almost;))!
This is my lovely friend  Mimi with her cat Filipina, I started this painting a long time ago, not even sure when, but long enough to say Filipina is now gone...This will be a little reminder of her. I am going to post it to Mimi for her birthday, hope she will like it.

My first inspiration to start this was a great book I proudly have "Taking Risk with Watercolour" by Shirley Trevena. I love her style and I wanted to create something as fearless as her works but...I was actually, ironically,  afraid of taking that risk...So the painting remain unfinished, for a couple of months (years?) till this week!



I finished the composition and started to paint...I became very frustrated in some parts. I was just staring at this and wondering what to do next and how to not ruin it... I am afraid of my lack of experience and this sometimes block me, but without actually painting and trying it is hard to get anywhere so I had to try..





I added a tree behind the window to close the composition and removed bowl from the table...

I wish I could be more confident with this medium. I can see some of my mistakes already (like this green throw under the cat), heaviness of my brush strokes and  clumsiness of the novice, but this is the best I could produce for now without damaging it completely!




I like it anyway, and I think this is a great finish to this 2011. Happy New Year to you all!
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3 comments:

  1. Julie Clay Illustration31 December 2011 at 05:29

    I think this will be a wonderful gift. Watercolour can be infuriating and quite often the mistakes can be the best bits! I can't get to grips with Shirley Trevena, My mind just doesn't accept some of her 'compositions'? I got that book last year. I think it's just best to practice, and do subjects you love if you can, do things you would like to own, I tell myself these things,but my work demands other stuff?? I don't think artists are ever that confident in what they do, it's always a bit of a battle?? Stick at it. My advice on finding the time is to forget the housework, Ha Ha.... or limit the time to do it, and give yourself any time you can save. The dust will always be there!

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  2. Magdalena2 January 2012 at 12:46

    Hi Julie, thank you for your comments and advices :) That is so true, no matter how well I will clean and tidy everything, it is always a matter of 2-3 days I have to start all over again! My kids are still very young (4,5 and nearly 2) so it is quite a struggle sometimes to keep up with them. I try to do housework during the day and work after they go to bed, so I have for myself 3-4 hours. It is not bad but I would like to do so many things...and this is when the frustration starts.

    Anyway, I like Trevena style, reminds me of Cezanne's change of perspective and Cubism style as well. I love especially her dynamic, bold washes. I hope one day I will have my own recognizable style. I love watercolor but I know it is difficult, and only regular practice can solve my dilemmas. I am doing some polymer clay work as well and have to divide my time between this two, but is so rewarding to be able to create again! Can't wait to clean my table and start a new one!

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  3. Karen Smithey27 February 2012 at 17:17

    I love watching the progress of this piece!

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