Spring Into Arts


Abstractions have not figured quite as prominently as usual in my work these days, so I decided to finish one of my more stylized pieces before moving on to the next formal portrait.  Spring [Above] began many weeks ago when tulips and daffodils and other jewel-toned flowers were nodding their heads in the breeze and the delicate new leaves of Huntsville's crepe myrtles formed neon garlands across courtyards and porches.  Yet harsh summer arrived early, searing away the powdery softness of spring; my thoughts drifted to other ideas and this piece hung unfinished upon my wall.

After adding the final touches to my last portrait, I thought that revisiting this piece might be a particularly good idea-- partially because too many unfinished canvases lying about can become disorienting, partially because I wondered how just having finished a very detailed, realistic piece might somehow influence this one, and partially because coming back to it seemed like a nice, meditative interlude.  I found myself rather interested in smoothing out messy brushwork in places and contrasting flat color and heavy lines with shorter, thicker side-by-side strokes.  The piece, I feel, has the sharply-delineated, almost cartoonish quality of the heavily-stylized, retro-inspired marker drawings I used to do as a teenager.  I think I would like to combine elements of this style with realism to create an unusual-yet-still-formal atmosphere somehow. . .

At any rate, Spring is quite large, the same size as The Lady and the Sea Monster, and, to me, it is stylistically related.  It is also of a sort of fantasy character, a beautiful spring lady carrying a mysterious bottle (presumably filled with a heady potion of a perfume that will inspire anyone who touches it to dream and revel in beauty).

[This painting and, indeed, many others are still available for purchase.  Please visit the Christina Wegman Fine Art Facebook page for pricing information.]

No comments