I really get lost when I am creating faces…I try to let my mind empty and see where my pen goes as it glides over the paper.  When I am creating, I think of the phrase “the eyes are the windows to the soul.”  The eyes are a good indicator of how we are feeling and what we might be thinking, so I start there.  I love exaggerating facial features, adding what doesn’t belong and even leaving out a feature or two.  For these drawings, I used gel pens that I bought at the Dollar Store and CVS.  They are on the same level as Micron or Tombow but are fun to draw with and it is nice to use regular pens to draw with.  I like the colors and the gel moves on the paper easily.  One day I will buy some metallic pens to mix with these.   Each drawing is playful and happy.  My work, whether it be a painting or a drawing, is an exploration, a way to figure out how to improve or change.  Sometimes, like today, I am exploring and experimenting to see what happens.  Enjoy the ride!

A few months ago I traveled to Philadelphia to see the “Marie Laurencin” exhibit at the Barnes Foundation.  She was a painter in Paris 1920s and is best known for creating her own style of paintings with only women in them.  The focus of her work was women and while at the exhibit I learned that she used codes in her work to show her love of women and in paintings where she was in them she painted the figure representing her a darker grey than the other figures.  When I look at her work I always think of Impressionism but that term doesn’t really capture what she was about.  Her work was, and still is, not as well known as the men of that time but she did have many commissions by famous women to have their portrait painted.

About five years ago I was introduced to her work and what initially grabbed me was how lightly her paint was applied (she was an oil painter) and that she used bright colors.  I don’t paint the way she does but I have learned so much by studying her work and have been using brighter colors and applying the paint to the canvas in a delicate manner.  My work is mostly portraits of women from imagination but my intent is to show female empowerment, independence, and growth.  I was amazed to look at her paintings and not see definite brush lines (except one of the last paintings in the show) and up close her paintings reminded me more of illustration with their light touch.

I recently finished “Bright Lights Ahead” (18″x24″ – oil on canvas) and once it is fully dry, I will ship it to the UK.  This is a commission for a recent college graduate who wants bright colors (specifically blue and other cold colors) and told me she didn’t want to put too many restrictions on me that would hamper my creativity (she was a dream client!).  She likes my other recent pieces with really distored head shapes and detailed backgrounds.  I had three canvases this size so I started three and worked on them a little before asking if she liked any of them.  She picked this one and I finished it for her.  Working on a commission is both nerve wracking and exciting because I need to bring the client’s words to life on a canvas.

The large squares around her eyes are glasses and the top of her head is open to receive new information.  The light blue in the background represents the sky – I imagined her standing outside enjoying a beautiful day.  The shapes in her neck represent building blocks.  Her neck, and the rest of her body, is ready to support her and all that she is learning and experiencing as she begins this new chapter in her life.