IMT - Whimsy

This is my painting for "Whimsy" at Inspire Me Thursday. The first time I've painted on a proper canvas! I know it doesn't look very whimsical (!) but I'm working with the first definition - an odd or fanciful idea.

The idea for it came about while I was studying my art history text book. I was reading "The Foundation and Manifesto of Futurism" by Marinetti. Its a seriously immense and intense bit of writing.

He wrote the first part of it as a strange and nightmarish adventure, working all kinds of metaphors about the need to move forward from the Symbolist art movement and embrace modernity.

It was originally published in the French newspaper "Le Figaro" in 1909 and launched the whole Futurist movement. They embraced new technology celebrating speed, war and dynamism.

He goes on to write an 11 point "Futurist Manifesto". Its full of action and aggression, violence, revolution. Destruction of the dead art, liberation from the past. Lots of hatred, injustice, fury and defiance. I found it amazing to read and started sketching out the ideas and imagery I had for the painting there in my text book. I decided to go with it and this is the painting I made.

If you want to read more of the article you can do so here.

IMT - Crayons

The theme at IMT this week is crayons. I knew I had some somewhere and I found this box of painting crayons on a shelf. I've never used them so I thought this week would be a good excuse to give them a try. They are a bit like watercolour pencils to use.

Its another Race For Life drawing. I'm just obsessed with it at the moment - really excited!

Race For Life

I'm running the 2008 Race For Life marathon this year. It is to raise money for Cancer Research UK. I'm really excited because I got my running number through the post today. Not long to go now - its held on the 1st June so one week left.

Its something I thought I'd never be able to do but I'm going to give it my best and hopefully I'll get through it! I've been doing some special training at the gym so fingers crossed.

IMT- Doors

I decided to use the most famous door in the UK for inspiration this week. So here are post-victory Mr and Mrs Blair outside Downing Street.

It was based on this photograph of them and did look fairly straight forward to begin with. But I thought it looked a bit boring so I stencilled over it and generally messed it up a bit.

The result is something totally different to what I'd normally come up with so I was quite pleased with it.

Irises

Just finished this painting of some irises. It is an exercise from the book "Creative Watercolour Techniques". I am quite pleased with it, although you can see its nowhere near as good as the one on the cover of the book. I really liked that picture - the vibrant style and unusual techniques. Its what made me pick up the book and I would recommend it if you are looking to try something new with watercolour.

The effects in my Irises painting are achieved with wet in wet painting, masking fluid and salt.

My mum said she liked it and has asked me to do two more so she can hang them in the bathroom. She likes daffodils and poppies so I plan to do those two next.

IMT - Envelope Art

This is a portrait of my penfriend Ina. I immediately thought of her when I saw the "envelope art" theme because she sends me the most beautiful letters all decorated with stickers. She also collects postcards so I've made this one so she can have a really unique one to add to the collection. I painted it on one of those special "draw your own postcard" watercolour papers.

IMT- Rescue, Reuse, Recycle

Catching up with the Inspire Me Thursday art..

I used as inspiration this odd bit of scrap paper on the left. I've been keeping it for ages. I had used it to print off the excess wet paint from a picture at my art class so I could roll it up to take home. It made such weird random prints on the scrap paper that I kept it. One of those things you hang on to with a vague idea to use "one day".

Anyway the IMT challenge inspired me to dig it out and reuse it. So I added lots and lots of paints & pastel and made a colorful random design following the suggestions of the marks already on the page. I used the paint thing to brighten it up and make the colours really zing.