Tag Archives: peacock

Available Paintings, Exhibitions

Chorus Line – wip pics & painting notes

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wip
Chorus Line WIP

Here are some work-in-progress images of today’s painting, Chorus Line. I’ve been asked about my process for this peacock feather-inspired series, and I think this collage sums it up.

As a painter, especially one who has a background in painting realism, the appeal of abstraction is the spontaneity of it. You have to surrender to the flow, live in the moment & really listen to your intuition. Depending on the artist, this can either be therapeutic, or terrifying!

Quite frankly, this method of pushing & pulling paint, building the image up in layers, is actually my natural way of working.

Except for rare occasions when the project calls for it, I prefer not to start with a precise drawing, but to lay in blocks of colour as I establish the composition. Then I refine & refine … and the longer I hang on to my reference photos, the more realistic the painting will be in the end.

peacock feather abstract painting
Chorus line, 16″x20″, acrylic on canvas, © 2015 Donna Grandin. $700.

If I’m feeling bold and confident, I ditch the reference photos earlier, and let the painting take me on a journey of discovery. I love ending up somewhere I could never have predicted … it’s in those exciting moments where you’re off the map – when you take on great risk (like when I glazed quinacridone violet over phalo green in the center image above) – that amazing, new things show up on the canvas.

There’s a painter’s high that happens when you paint intuitively, and it works out … that feeling of  achievement, of having CREATED something original.

With realism, there is a smug satisfaction from having developed the skills to be able to translate a 3D image or even just a concept, into a 2D painting, using your brushes & paint. The longer you work at it, the better an illusionist you become.

But with abstraction, the lines of reality that you were clinging to to control the chaos, are no longer there … the safety net is gone, the boundries are gone … you can go anywhere!

The elements & principles of design remain the same, so if you have a firm grip on them, you can go back & forth between realism and abstraction at will, or by whimsy.

They are after all, just the alphabet of this language of painting … not the message.

I may not bring this painting to Art in the Park Oakville, I worked on my booth layout yesterday & this one did not make it in.

However, if you’re interested in it, let me know, I can always bring it along.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Available Paintings, Exhibitions

Carnival triptych – peacock series

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peacock series
Carnival , 16″x20″, acrylic on canvas, ©2015 Donna Grandin. $1600. for triptych

As a West Indian, the link between peacock feathers and Carnival is an obvious one to me. In fact, the 2015 St. Lucia Carnival parade was just a few days ago, and some people joke that the costumes these days are just feathers held together with string!

peacock series
Carnival 2, 16″x20″, acrylic on canvas, ©2015 Donna Grandin. $1600. for triptych

For both natives and visitors, Carnival is a big celebration, and some revelers see it as an opportunity to show off their hot bodies, especially if they have worked all year to achieve the look.

Others think of it as a time to put on fancy dress and go shake their tail feathers, to dance and sweat off the worries of the world. For a few rum-filled days they get to escape reality and get on bad with any and everyone. And regardless of what body type they are, those feathers are their passport to this fantasy.

peacock series
Carnival 3, 16″x20″, acrylic on canvas, ©2015 Donna Grandin. $1600. for triptych

This triptych is about that bacchanal, it is reminiscent of all the glitz & glamour of feathers, beads, rhinestones, body paint and just general decoration. And of course the movement, the rhythmic swaying, gyrating and grinding, that is integral to Carnival.

peacock series
Carnival, 16″x60″ triptych, acrylic on canvas, ©2015. $1600.00

I am going to post a new painting every day until Art in the Park, Oakville, which is on Aug 3. E-mail donna@bluerootsartstudio.com if something catches your fancy.

Join my e-mail list so you don’t miss any!

Available Paintings

Boudoir – abstract peacock painting

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Boudoir - peacock feather painting
Boudoir, 24″x36″, acrylic on canvas, ©2015 Donna Grandin. $1400.

This is one of my favourite paintings right now, but I’m not sure you will get the full effect looking at it online. There’s more subtlety to it in real life, it is feminine without being obnoxiously so, and exudes a lush, luxurious and exotic mood.

There is something of all of that  inherent in peacock imagery – long before I created this painting, pretty girls have been wearing peacock feathers to enhance their own beauty.  However, for my peacock series I really am just taking the motif for a drive, with no particular destination in mind … trying to remain in the moment, painting intuitively. So I am as surprised and delighted as the next person with what evolves from these painting sessions.

There is a sensuous, erotic quality to this painting that I’ve never noticed in my work before (although, a certain St. Lucian artist-writer did touch on it when reviewing my solo exhibition “Floravision”), words like passion, seduction and warmth come to mind when I try to describe the mood.

Although it would enliven any room, for some reason I really envision it in a bedroom … which is why I just had to name it “Boudoir”.  I think it will really appeal to someone who wants to create a romantic atmosphere, someone who would like to “feather” their nest, create a cozy nook full of inspiration and excitement, as well as comfort, safety and indulgence.

Ok, I know I’ve gone overboard with the adjectives in this post, but there is something about this painting that makes me want to gush …

I will probably bring to Art in the Park, Oakville on August 3rd, I hope you can see it in person.

E-mail donna@bluerootsartstudio.com if this painting speaks to you!

 

Available Paintings, Exhibitions

Flow – a peacock feather-inspired abstract painting

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Flow, 24"x30", acrylic on canvas, ©2015 Donna Grandin. $1200.
Flow, 24″x30″, acrylic on canvas, ©2015 Donna Grandin. $1200.

If this painting looks a little familiar, it’s because it has evolved over the last year … it started as a demonstration, at a live painting event.

You can read about it in this earlier blog post, where I even created a video to show the process thus far! The initial inspiration was a peacock feather mask that I’d bought 10 years earlier, in combination with the live music … it was the first time I painted at a public event like this (Culture Days), and the energy was awesome.

In fact I had so much fun at Culture Days, I’m doing it again Sept 26 & 27 this year.  More on that in another post.

DonnaGrandin-Intheflow-f
In the Flow … wip

Although there was so much I loved about this painting, it just never felt quite finished … that could be because I’m accustomed to working a week to several weeks on a painting, so several hours of painting didn’t seem enough. And partly because although I’d designed the “eyes” as if they were notes on a music sheet, I just didn’t like the way they created a single line , pulling the viewers’s eye across the image and out.

I called the painting “In the flow” originally … and for some reason, it just seemed to remain in flux, there was always something more to do to it, so in between other paintings, I’d keep going back to it.

Eventually, in a new space, I decided to work on it to completion, and what emerged is this painting … “Flow”.  In this version I really played on the aquatic tendencies of the original, and I’m quite happy with the result.

I will be bringing it to Art in the Park Oakville on Aug 3, my booth is #143, and I hope you’ll be able to come out and see it in person!

Unless of course, one of you wants to claim it before then … if so, just e-mail donna@bluerootsartstudio.com

 

 

30 in 30 challenge, Available Paintings, Painting in a day, Small paintings

Collage of “30 paintings in 30 days challenge”, Sept ’14.

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30 paintings in 30 days - collage
30 paintings in 30 days – collage

Here is a collage to show the paintings I submitted (created) for Leslie Saeta’s 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. Take a look at the collages some of the other participating artists posted today!

I only painted 22 or so new paintings during that time, because I took the last week off to spend some time with my brother and his wife who were visiting from London, England, AND to prepare/participate in Culture Days Burlington.

Still, I am very happy with what I did accomplish, considering all what I had going on during those 3 weeks. If I had just said I was too busy to take on the challenge, I would have completed far fewer paintings.

IF you have been following my blog, you may be wondering how the Culture Days event went … for now I’ll just say it went great! I want to touch up my painting a little before posting though.

Meanwhile, here is a video clip promoting Culture in Burlington, I make a 2 second cameo about halfway … you might recognize the paintings behind me!

If you are in the Burlington, Ontario area you will see some of my 30 in 30 paintings in my studio during the Art in Action Studio tour, Nov 1 &2. They are also available online.

 

 

 

30 in 30 challenge, Available Paintings, Painting in a day, Small paintings

Peacock abstraction triptych -3, 30 paintings in 30 days, #20

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Peacock abstraction triptych- 3, 6"x6", acrylic on canvas
Peacock abstraction triptych- 3, 6″x6″, acrylic on canvas

This is the third canvas in the peacock feather-inspired abstract triptych. And here are the canvases all together …

Peacock triptych - combination 2

and another combination …

Vertical combination of Peacock Abstraction triptych

Sorry for the poor quality of the photos, I had to quickly take them with my phone before I left the house. I am traveling with my brother and his wife, visiting family. I brought my paints, so that I can keep up with the challenge.

This is the final photo of the whole triptych:

Peacock abstraction triptych, 6"x18", acrylic on canvas, ©2014 Donna Grandin
Peacock abstraction triptych, 6″x18″, acrylic on canvas, ©2014 Donna Grandin

 

 

 

 

30 in 30 challenge, Available Paintings, Painting in a day, Small paintings

Peacock abstraction triptyck – 2, 30 paintings in 30 days, #19

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Peacock abstraction triptych -2, 6"x6", acrylic on canvas
Peacock abstraction triptych -2, 6″x6″, acrylic on canvas

The second part of this triptych is abstracted, so right now it is all about movement and colour. I painted all 3 canvases at once, as if they were all one continuous image. Tomorrow when I post the third, I will also post a photo of what they look like together.

I was up late tidying my studio last night, in preparation for the interview. It was very casual, one videographer/interviewer, but I used it as motivation to tackle the chaos that was piling up in my studio.

Unfortunately I didn’t get any photos of the interview, but Kune will be using the footage he is taking of several Cultural Makers in Burlington ON to compile a quick promotional video that will be introduced by our Mayor at the Culture Days event I am participating in next Friday, in front of Burlington City Hall.

If you are in the area, save the date, I will be doing an acrylic painting demonstration from noon till it gets too dark to see! There will be bands, & other performances, as well as other arts and culture booths to check out.

 This is the final triptych:

Peacock abstraction triptych, 6"x18", acrylic on canvas, ©2014 Donna Grandin
Peacock abstraction triptych, 6″x18″, acrylic on canvas, ©2014 Donna Grandin

 

30 in 30 challenge, Available Paintings, Painting in a day, Small paintings

Peacock feathers 3 – 30 paintings in 30 days, #17

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Peacock feathers 3, 6"x6", acrylic on canvas, © 2014 Donna Grandin. $100.
Peacock feathers 3, 6″x6″, acrylic on canvas, © 2014 Donna Grandin. $100

Another peacock feather-themed abstraction. I am having fun with these. There is a joyful sense of play, so much potential for new compositions … I have ideas for many other variations I’d like to explore.

DonnaGrandin-PeacockFeatherAbstractions

Tomorrow morning I will photograph the next mini-series, also peacock feather-inspired. I painted them as a triptych. So in love with how it came out.

I’m looking forward to painting this subject on large canvases. There is an organic, natural flow to the work, that I also have when I paint foliage, it’s like I’m conveying the vitality, movement and life of my subject matter. It is obviously my passion. So, thank you for letting me share it with you.

 

 

30 in 30 challenge, Available Paintings, Painting in a day, Small paintings

Peacock feathers 2 – 30 paintings in 30 days, #16

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Peacock feathers 2, 6"x6", acrylic on canvas, © 2014 Donna Grandin. Sold
Peacock feathers 2, 6″x6″, acrylic on canvas, © 2014 Donna Grandin. SOLD

This peacock feather themed abstraction is based more on yesterday’s painting than on reality, so it’s even looser. And the third painting – which I will post tomorrow – is even more so. I think they look better in person, especially when viewed together.

At this point, I have painted ahead … I’m really having fun running with this theme. I will probably stick with it for a while, there are so many variations I want to try out. That’s all I’ll say for now, but stay tuned!

 

30 in 30 challenge, Available Paintings, Painting in a day, Small paintings

Peacock feathers, 30 paintings in 30 days, #15

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Peacock feathers, 6"x6", acrylic on canvas, © 2014 Donna Grandin. $100.
Peacock feathers, 6″x6″, acrylic on canvas, © 2014 Donna Grandin. Sold

Surprised? If you have been following my postings each day during the 30 in 30 challenge this month, then you may have been expecting more fruit today. The truth is, as much as I was enjoying working from observation, the still-life was just feeling too … still!

Often in my larger paintings, there are areas that I define/refine more (realism) and areas that I have fun just playing abstractly – in the case of a flower painting, that may be the background. So far during this challenge, it seems I’ve been giving in totally to one impulse in each painting, instead of a yin-yang combination.

With realism, the more you look, the more you see, and it is easy to get carried away on a wave of perfectionism. So, I wanted to take a break and paint something fun, something with more LIFE … and although the inspiration for this painting was another still-life object, my approach has been to imply more movement.

The object that I’m using as inspiration is a mask with peacock feathers. I bought it in Leeds, England in 2001 and it has just been hanging in my studio for years, waiting till I got around to use it as a prop. There is just something about a peacock theme that I love, maybe it is because there is so much blue and green and those are colours I use a lot in my painting. Maybe it’s because turquoise has always been my favourite colour.

It could also be because of the patterning, one of my favourite art movements is Art Nouveau – decorative and romantic, the goal was to bring beauty into our everyday lives. That’s an ideal I can get behind.

Embracing and inviting love and joy into our living and working environments does not mean a rejection – or ostrich-like attitude – of the ugly truths that also exist in all our lives. It is a conscious choice to counter-balance those truths.

One way for you to share more beauty with the world, would be to share my Facebook page! Thank you to those of you who have recently started following, commenting and liking. As my work does vary, the more people who get to see it means the faster each painting will connect with someone who just has to have it in their life. And of course, that means I can continue creating more art.

So, I really appreciate all of you who not only follow to see what I might paint next, but also tell your friends about my art!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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