Wayward: In From the Wild Painting
LADY PEARL
Acrylic & Watercolor on Wood Panel, 11” x 14”
<<INQUIRIES>>
I am so excited to share the process of my latest painting, Lady Pearl. Pearl was inspired by my summer trip to Quadra Island for the Wayward Women Retreat. The retreat was so insightful and really taught me about self care and reflection. I came back with new goals and have been working super hard implementing them. The fellow artists I met were inspiring and I am truly honored to have been selected to participate.
If interested in more info, here is the link to the application, it's open till January 15th (APPLY).
The figure of the woman was inspired by a version of The Little Mermaid I used to watch as a child. You can watch it here if curious. I loved the illustrative style, music, and details. This is definitely NOT the sugar coated Disney version everyone is used to. This stays very true to the original story-line. Later, when I grew up and became an artist, the aesthetic stuck with me, as has the fascination with ocean life. I chose to center her behind various decorative bottles. Each hinting the contents contain an elixir or life-changing potion. Behind her are growing seaweed vines moving up through the frame.
On Quadra I thoroughly enjoyed the renegade oysters that lived in the bay. Leslie, one of the artists taught me to shuck oysters and it became my mission to master this. I'd trek down to the bay and trained myself how to shuck them and ate them like a little otter. For some reason this memory really stuck with me, and so when it came to submit something to Virago on my experience, I chose to highlight this memory.
On a side note, while I used my retreat time for self reflection it wasn't until I came home that I started painting again. I challenged myself to spend more time on composition and realism. I'm pushing myself to think critically about my technique and not being so impatient with my progress. It's been a challenge so far, but I really love how she turned out and am super pleased to present to you, Lady Pearl.
More info on the show; WAYWARD: IN FROM THE WILD
More Progress Photos,