Tangled hair, leaves and twigs, moody muddy colors, pale moths, and duality. These are the elements I am working with to create my new series Days Like a Passing Shadow.
The strange and melancholy side of faerie has always fascinated me. Be it the lonesome woods, or faerie tales told in their older form. The bittersweet, the beautiful loss, the tangled woods and words of the story. This is what has long drawn me to faerie.
I wanted to explore this oddness in a new series and create art that is closer to the ideas captured in my sketches. This art is more loose, a bit less exuberant,and a bit more true.
For the new series to have the mood I wish to share I began working in more of a drawing style. I explored many sketches of faces, and objects. Some were more realistic and some more scratchy.
I also chose to limit my color palette. Exploring the new colors led me to the practice of layering loose washes of color over top pen. The result is paintings that are born of the moody muddy hues that inspired me, but remain fresh looking because of the quick layering.
I will be pushing myself to remain working loose. I often lean toward too much tiding up of the spontaneous drips and dribbles of the paint. Along with the more sketchy style I will hope this will lead to my creating stronger art in both concept and image.
~Autumn