Thursday 15 March 2018

Teach me to fly

I did it! I finished my painting! Wow, never expected it would go so fast when I started this, when was it, three weeks ago or so?


Prepare yourself for a picture-heavy post! If you're in a hurry, you might want to scroll down to see the whole painting at the bottom of this post ;-)


I had a lot of fun playing with small details. I called it "Teach me to fly". Mostly because she's looking with such longing to the bird and I painted this little detail at the end of her hair, just for fun, and in the end I thought it looked like a root that had come loose. Hence: teach me to fly, since she was surrounded by birds anyway ...


The painting went through quite a few stages before ending up like this. Most of the layers went really smooth, but in the end I struggled with a few details.


It helps to leave the painting on the easel so that I can see it every time I walk past. Often it's like this that I can pinpoint what exactly is bothering me.


And then I only need to find a way to fix it ;-)

For those of you that are interested: here's a walk-through of the different stages it went through:

 starting with some collage and some paint marks

 a whole lot of ink and spraying (that's always the fun part!)

 bringing in all kinds of marks, with different "tools"

trying to bring in some contrast with black and white

 not liking it, so a bit more scratching and dripping ....

 needed more blue ...

 And then I kept seeing this body / shoulder, which was all that I was seeing at that point, so I brought it out

 And then I started seeing the rest, first the big bird, then the face and the small bird

 I saw that small bird so clear, but I wasn't sure how to paint it, since  it was so close to her face. So in the end I decided to just make her hair in the shape of the bird. That's artistic freedom, right ;-)

 Hmm, I desperately needed to lighten it up, but how?

 well yes, another bird ... Why not?

 I decided the background needed a lot of quieting down, so I used a lot of white to lighten it up

Now  I needed to bring in some more contrast again ...
The area at the bottom left kept bothering me, and in the end I decided to just get rid of one of the legs (the other one is still there but not so visible on this picture)

So this is the finished painting:

"Teach me to fly"- mixed media on box-canvas - 80x60cm - 31x24 inches


Of course, I also have my weekly sketch to show:


And that's it! Finally ;-) Thanks for staying with me till the end! I'm linking this to Paint Party Friday tomorrow. Hop on over there to view all kinds of artistic creations by people from around the world!

Ending, as usual, with some funnies:-)










As well as the serious ones ...







Thanks for your visit! Enjoy your day, and have a wonderful weekend full of joy! 
See you next week ♥ ♥ ♥

28 comments:

  1. Best joke ever....was really funny! And I absolutely LOVE "Teach Me To Fly"!

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  2. You just amaze me. You are so talented and cleaver in your art. Glad this one is finished and I loved seeing the progression of it. Of course your weekly sketches always inspire me.

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  3. Your painting is fabulous, well done on completing it. Thanks for the funnies, too! Happy PPF, hugs, Valerie

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  4. I love your intuitive art...its always amazing...your faces are too! We all had a good laugh at the jokes! Thanks for sharing...always a fun visit!

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  5. It's great to see the progression of your painting, thanks for sharing. They're always eye catching pieces of art, your paintings. Your sketch is beautiful as well.

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  6. I'm always fascinated by your painting technique, Denise. This is another fabulous piece of art and the sketch is beautiful as well. Thank you for the funnies! I laughed out loud at the best joke ever.
    Have a happy and creative weekend!

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  7. Lovely painting...colours are gorgepis...😍

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  8. So beautiful end for your creativity! Love the painting and the sketch.
    Happy PPF xx

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  9. Denise, I always love when you share your walk throughs, because I have no idea how to paint intuitively.
    I have to say this painting is up there on my favorites! the subject matter, the name, and the white and lighter shades you used to tone it done, just speak to me! Absolutely stunning,my friend! Bravo!

    as for the funnies...
    I like the one about unfollowing and The last insert below-is the most powerful I have seen- I love it!
    Sending love and warm hugs,Jackie xx

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  10. So beautiful! I love the gorgeous blue and orange in this piece. And, the title is perfect. This is a winner for sure. Happy PPF

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  11. Amazing transformation in the painting, I loved looking at the different stages and your use of color!

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  12. Love seeing all your progress shots. :)

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  13. WOW! That turned out so amazing! I love it! I love seeing the WIPs too. It's always interesting to see where you start and where you end up and find your images. Looks fantastic. Thanks for the funnies too!

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  14. Your step outs are really appreciated Denise. And what a gorgeous intuitive piece of art!!! Loving your beautiful sketch as well. Happy PPF!

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  15. Beautiful painting and a lovely sketch Denthe, thanks for the laughs

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  16. Great post, Denise. I think the painting turned out so beautiful. And your sketch is an awesome portrait.

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  17. Such a beautiful painting and process. Plus some bonus funnies :) Happy PPF from Number 31 :D

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  18. Wow, fantastic work thank you so much for sharing it all with us! Happy PPF!

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  19. love the way you explain intuitive painting..excellent painting in your own recognisable style

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  20. Hello Denise! I love seeing through your eyes. Your style is so distinct as is your vision. I often intend to take photos but get absorbed in the process and forget. Thanks for the smiles too!
    ~~ Irene

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  21. Fantastic! You finished! omigosh I love all those progress pictures and I am so glad you posted so many even though I know it is a little bit of a hassle. :D

    Very cool idea to merge the bird and the hair. Beautiful and vibrant and a style that is uniquely your own. Wooo!

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  22. Zo mooi zo als je laat zien in zo veel stappen, de kleuren zo mooi, de vrouwen gezichten de vogels dit is echt jou kenmerk,je ziet dit is een echte Denise!!!
    Ook je schets met een mooie dame,zo natuurlijk echt!
    wens je een mooie zondag.
    groetjes Christiene

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  23. A wonderful post my friend! Your painting turned out amazing! Wow! I love the way your art flows! I love the feel of it! Truly breath taking! Beautiful sketch too! Thanks for the after thoughts as well! Big Hugs!

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  24. I love your combination of warm and cool colors. They just fill my eyes...which is the greatest compliment I can give.

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  25. your birds are very attractive

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  26. yay! for finishing it :D it looks wonderful!

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  27. Gorgeous painting Denise! I've not done mixed media for ages, I'm yearning to do some again, it looks like so much fun. x

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Thanks for taking the time to comment! I love hearing your thoughts about my work. Because I am getting too many spammer comments, l have to use Captcha, sorry. Hope this is not a problem for you !