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I am featuring a painting of a subject I've never painted before, fish. I've painted seafood such as prawns and oysters, just not the shimmering fish kind. I've wanted to but I am not a fishing kind of gal and neither does my husband fish. So I have minimal exposure to seeing these beauties in life. The reference for this painting comes from a photo a friend took of the catch that her friend had caught. Once I saw the photo I was intrigued by the colours emitting from the skin and scales of these fish. So thanks to Andrea who granted me permission to use her photo as reference and to Char who caught these beautiful pink salmon, fly casting none the less, there is now a painting preserving the beauty of these fish.
In communicating with Char she let me know that they were caught in Howe Sound fly fishing off a small 15' aluminum boat launched from Porteau Cove. This area is between Vancouver on your way to Whistler B.C. This day was special to her as it was the first time her nephew was able to site, track, cast, strip and catch the fish on his own, a skill he's been working at since 6 yrs. old. She also let me know that large schools of the pink salmon return back to spawn every 2 yrs. and that the pinks are attracted to of all things a pink fly! She also hand harvests sea salt from the West Coast @farmersaltco, an all round ocean girl.
I love the ocean myself and all it produces, thus why some of my still life's have a seafood theme raw oysters being a favourite to paint. I totally believe in painting what you love and what gives you joy rather than painting what may be current or popular. So this would help explain why I now have a painting of pink salmon to add to my collection of artwork. Also credit to my husband who came up with the name for this painting, as soon as he said it that became the name!
This is a bit of a different subject for me as I predominately paint still life's, but wait a minute this is a still life so to speak. It's a statue that I was intrigued with at the Paris Opera Garnier. Let me explain why I was intrigued by this statue and what I found out about the person represented by the sculpture.
It was during my last full day in Paris that we toured the Opera. There was this one area that had statues of artists from the past of dancers, singers, musicians, poets that had all performed at the Palais Garnier. They were stunning. The morning light was streaming into this area and we were so taken with work of the sculptors. The smoothness of the skin and details were amazing but what caught my attention was how the sculptor made the eyes to look the way they do. Truly these artists were of such a caliber that astounded me as how they did it with the tools they had at that time.
This particular sculpture was my favourite. The plaque read 1842-1863 LIVRY Danseuse. What I found out about her is that her name was Emma and for a short time she was the darling of the Paris Opera dancing leading roles in the most famous romantic ballets It was said she was so ethereal, and diaphanous - she bounds and leaps as no one else could do.
If you notice her life was short, only 20 years old when tragedy struck. You see the theatres were lit with gaslight at this time and although costumes could be made flame retardant Emma refused to have her costumes done because it made them stiff and yellow. She even signed a release to say she was willing to take the chance. One night her tulle skirt caught fire and she suffered severe burns and died eight months later from complications of those burns. It was this incident that now required blankets soaked in water be kept ready at both sides of the stage, thus this is where the term "wet blanket" comes from.
Emma Livry became one of the last of the romantic ballerinas at the Paris Opera Ballet which was the centre of ballet for centuries. I learnt so much from a few photos I took of of a sculpture that impressed me.
I wish I knew who the sculptor of this piece was and what other pieces this sculptor created. I will continue to search that information because if you look at some video I took of the sculpture of Emma Livry I hope you will be amazed also. You can see it by visiting my Instagram account Laurinda Lee Art.
Every year when the peonies come into bloom I challenge myself to paint them. For me they are the most delicate and romantic flower in my yard. Most in my garden have been with me since our first home, and as they come into bloom I always feel an excitement.
I realize that many other painters feel the same way as my Instagram feed is filled with peonies by artists that I follow. I always hope that this year they will be easy to paint and although they are getting easier, it's never a walk in the park. Flowers can be the most challenging to paint, yet I love them and desire to create a rendition of the beauty that I see.
My goal is to paint them in a more impressionistic way, so to speak, then I have in the past. It's a challenge to find a balance between rendering the painting very realistic and not getting so abstract that something for me is lost. That's the beauty of painting, there is always something more to learn, explore and experiment with. I don't intend to ever stop.
As I've mentioned many artists love to paint the peony. One who truly mastered the flower was Dennis Perrin who sadly we lost this year. His peonies still remain some of my favourites. I loved his brushwork and the way he rendered them. Check out his Instagram site for yourself and you'll see what I mean. @dennisperrinfineart
So as we are now into the start of summer get out there and smell, enjoy, pick and appreciate whatever flower you feel drawn to, just don't pick the ones from my yard please. :)
I'm at it again and raiding the closet although not mine this time. I painted a pair of shoes for a friend earlier this year. They were a pair of red John Fluvogs and when we were deciding which pair of shoes to paint these Gucci's were in the lot. I had taken a few preliminary photos and kept them in my roll. Have I said how I think shoes are a work of art all in themselves before? I think I have.
In any case I had a night that I was itching to paint, I scrolled through possible subjects and these grabbed my attention. Nothing like a classic black shoe with beautiful lines. Working with black can be a bit of a challenge but a good one. When looking at your subject you really need to look and see what colours are present and being reflected and then exaggerate a tad.
This painting is an example that a still life does not need to be done in an old world style but can literally be whatever, a glimpse of what you see and love in your everyday life. Does it bring joy to your heart? Stir a memory? I’m going to have to check and see if any of the old masters ever painted shoes. I’ll let you know!
Other of my paintings of shoes.
This is a painting I have wanted to do for quite some time. It took a while for everything to come together to be able to do this. Sometimes the painting itself is the shortest part of what goes into a painting.
I knew I wanted to capture the light illuminating through a good looking lemon meringue pie that was surrounded with blue and white accessories. The past year I've been collecting the blue and white items. As I've talked about before I scour some of our vintage and thrift shops keeping an eye out for items that will work.
Next I have been on the lookout for where I can get a good lemon pie. I could've made one myself but it requires a lot of time just setting up a still life that I knew I wanted a pie already made, and it had to look good. In my research I knew of a restaurant that would make a good one that was in a town about 40 minutes away from me. So I waited for a time that I would be going that way. In the end some friends of ours were going to be there and brought back the pie with them for me to use. The Home restaurant in Hope B.C. makes great pies btw!
Now to gently cut a good piece and to play with many different versions of the set up. I took lots of photos that first night but no eating of the pie as I wanted to get some shots of it the next day with the sunlight coming through. Thankfully it was sunny the next day which has been rare around here this spring. Bingo! I got the shot I wanted with the effect I wanted.
Now I play with some of the photos and start planning and then execute the painting. So a painting can take a long while from idea to finished artwork. It's an enjoyable journey but as usual the part I enjoy most is the painting. Although I do have to say eating a slice of pie was not a hard task in this process!
I love a good martini and I always add an extra olive or two, it's just the way I roll. I've always been a fan of the pickled or brined condiment. Even as kids if we had some extra cash and wanted a treat we bought olives. The whole stuffed olives were too expensive for our wallets so we would buy what's called salad olives. They were somewhat crushed but they tasted just as good. I'm sure it was better for us to eat olives rather than candy although the candy had a place too.
Whenever I am with my sisters and we have martinis they are ordered with extra olives and if we are at home the remainder gets put in a dish to be snacked on. I've done a number of small paintings of olives with or without the martini, I guess I think they are fun items to paint.
Some olive/martini trivia thanks to the internet is that the correct number (air quotes) is three in your glass and apparently five would be excessive. Also two or four is a faux pas, oops I guess that's me! What do "they" know? Have some fun and live dangerously and throw an extra olive or two in that martini!
I'm talking about shoes! Why? Have you noticed that since Covid started that your relationship with your shoes has changed? Mine has for sure. I have been wanting to paint these for some time as they have just been sitting in my closet with no where to go.
So last week I pulled them out of their box and with a heavy sigh admired them. I love the grosgrain ribbon that cascades down the front and the lines of the heel are like a beautiful gestural brushstroke, a work of art in themselves. And yet as I looked at them I felt my feet wince at the thought of being fit into this confined space. No, this can't be, my mind tells my feet. You will be worn again, please, just once? So I proceeded to give them a try to admire them on my feet and see if almost two years of boots or flip-flops (season depending) has affected my level of tolerance for a heel. Oh, a bit of a pinch here and they are on. I spent a minute or two admiring them in the mirror wobbling slightly at the instability of them and then they were off.
Perhaps there will be one more event to parade these pretties out. In the meantime I have put them on canvas and they can be enjoyed in a different way. Inspiration for a painting comes from all areas of life, even my closet!
All the leaves have fallen and our November rain storms arrived in October and seem to have stayed. With December now arrived the days are dark and void of colour. For someone who loves colour, I find the following months a bit dreary.
When I am at the market I will look to see what colourful seasonal fruit is available. Last week I bought pomegranates which were such a deep rich red and I also saw these beautiful looking persimmons. Now I can't say I've eaten many and I'm not really sure how a good one should taste but they really were so pretty that I bought a couple of these also. They are both deep rich autumnal colours that would translate well to a painting. They wait patiently on my island for their modelling debut.
Forward to this week where we have been dealing with a parade of atmospheric rivers hitting the West Coast. It's been an anxious time as we have been surrounded with the devastating consequences in the communities nearby. Our main roads have been cut off by either flood, mudslides or washouts and we can't go anywhere. Thankfully we've been fine and have only had minor damage in our yard thus far.
With all that's been happening, painting helps distract me from worrying about it. As the second storm was upon us I set up to paint my autumnal fruit. I wanted it to have a warm deeper feel and showcase those rich colours. The teapot has an interesting shape and pattern and I think they worked well together.
As I write this evening the third storm this week is giving us its final blast. I am counting the hours as tomorrow it is supposed to be sunny and dry. It will be so appreciated.
A fellow artist posted a quote from Picasso which reads “Painting is another way of keeping a diary.” When I look at my group of small works, I have to agree. Although the subjects do vary, they do remind me of my year.
I usually paint these 6”x 6” works when I am between larger paintings or I just need a change of subject. Many artists who paint a painting a day will usually pick this size or similar. It’s a nice size to experiment or try something new without the pressure of a larger painting. Some evenings I want to paint but I don't want to start a large project so I"ll paint a subject that is presently around me. The time of year especially comes into play with the produce items and flowers.
The painting above is one I did this month. I had just finished a commission and wanted to paint an animal. I had recently taken some photos while I was in Vancouver waiting to meet someone at a Starbucks. While I was drinking my tea I saw a few pigeons milling around the tables and I took advantage of it. I had been wanting to get some pigeon references.
This painting is not on my website however it will be included in my small works sale that’s coming up in November. If you are already receiving my emails you will receive all the info at a later date. If not, don't hesitate to join my email and keep informed with the latest news. Just click the button below to do so.
We’ve all been impressed with large paintings, often seen in public spaces, a gallery or in a home with some good wall space. To be honest I have very few spots in my home that will fit a large painting, So because large is impressive sometimes we forget how powerful a small work of art can be.
I love how small works can give a small niche a pop of colour or help tell a story on a shelf when grouped with other items. They can stand on their own or be put together with others. They can be hung on walls or set on a mantle, it’s totally up to you. They are pieces easily moved about as seasons change and easily collected when on travels. Because of their versatility they are a good investment.
Another plus is they are more affordable than a large piece of art. So if you haven’t started collecting any original art, they are a good place to start. Framing them also not require a big investment as usually these artworks are a standard size. They also make a great gift that someone will love you for.
So having expounded on the value of small works, I am planning an upcoming sale of my 6”x 6” works in the next month. Most are not even on my website but they will first be offered to those on my email list. So if you haven’t done so feel free to sign up for that I will be keeping you posted through my email.
The painting Lavender Buzz is one of my 6”x 6” that was painted after a stroll in my garden to cut some herbs for dinner. I wanted to capture the warm afternoon, the scent of the lavender and the hum of the bees hard at work. The best of summer!
