The Whys of My Art

Featured: “Between the Storms” by Hilary J. England

My inspiration for certain paintings

Often times, people want to know what is my inspiration for my artwork — is it preplanned, is it spontaneous, is it a feeling or a thought, or is it another artist from a bygone era? Actually, there are elements of all of the above! 

Many times, my mind will begin to focus on a group of thoughts and feelings that are related, and this will translate into an overarching idea for a group of paintings.  For me, most of everything, both visually and with my art — relates to the natural environment around me.  I constantly seek beauty in the visual, even in ugly subject matter or circumstances — because to me, above all, beauty is paramount. The world is both beautiful and terrible sometimes, but we can surmount all things if we focus on the beautiful.

Landscape paintings by famous artists

So many landscape painters that came before me — inspired me.  Of course, my personal favorite, my muse of sorts, was Vincent Van Gogh.  His paintings and how his emotionality translated into his landscapes, is the apex of artistic expression for me — I connect with his vision of this universe.  He is a kindred spirit on many artistic levels.  His painting, Starry Night, which can be viewed here  was always such a visceral look into his heart and mind.  He was both complex and yet, simple in his thoughts and vision for his art.  I adored that about him and his work.

As for me...

I strive to have the emotionality of my work connect with viewers as well.  I think in this world, as chaotic and overwhelming as it can be sometimes, we all need a restful place to regain our strength and optimism.  I look to create that with my artwork — a romantic artwork, a peaceful painting, a landscape of beauty and serenity — all of these are emotions I strive to communicate into my landscape art and still life paintings.

New Year 2020!

Hello friends! I’m back! 😁 I hope you all had a very nice holiday and are looking forward to this new year with 2020 vision! 😉

I am hitting the ground running, and here is a collective online exhibition, entitled “Winter” through the Envision Gallery that I have two small oil artworks in.

✅Check it out! ❤️❤️❤️

 https://www.envisionartshow.com/winter

Pop on by and check it out! There is some very nice art from a variety of other artist skillfully depicting their visions of winter as well! 

Sunday Afternoon Figure Work

Study of Val, torso, and buttocks
Conte on Arches tinted paper
16" x 20

I always end up covered in my medium!

Sunday afternoons...
It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood, so I was able to rest and get some figure studies done.  I was able to do some preliminary sketches, and then a larger drawing, in Conte, on tinted Arches paper.  I've been working out some other compositions and studies for a few shows that I have coming up -- one, rather quickly, and I feel that I was still dragging "tail" a bit this month, and I'm not quite sure why.  I am in the capstone session of my Master's degree program, and that is a ton of work, so that could be why as well.

I really enjoy drawing, and decided it was important to focus the figure for the next several weeks while working out this composition for these new paintings.  I can't divulge what they are until the show curators give the go-ahead, so I will be quietly working on them until the appropriate time for them to be "unveiled" by the group.  Sounds very mysterious, but I assure you, on my end, it's not, haha.

So, I'll leave you with these photos of today's afternoon session.  And, I'm never happy unless I am covered in my medium -- when I'm drawing.  I am a bit of a sculptor while drawing the figure, so getting charcoal covered is normal and kind of fun for me ;-)

Yes, these are the strange things that make an artist happy!

Study of female nude from behind

"Study of female nude from behind" pencil and white chalk on beige Ingres paper, 12" X 16"

This study was difficult.  This young woman had quite a "bootie" to put it mildly, and the projection on it was incredible.  I had to try to capture that, as it was almost unreal, and yet the contortion of her torso and spine, in combination with the "apple bottom" mad this a most frustrating study to capture. I had to try to keep it real without being "pin up" or "cartoony" along the lines of Jessica Rabbit.  I think I struck the balance and I am ok with it.  I would like to attempt her again, maybe in Conte this time.  Graphite and pencil, especially the softer ones, is very delicate, and smears easily, but it does have more range in it's own way.  

This is why diligence is needed in drawing the human form. It keeps you on your proverbial toes, because poses and studies that you think should be "easy" sometimes turn out to be the most difficult, as this one did.  I enjoyed drawing her nonetheless.

~Enjoy.

Day 5

It's wild here...and no, I don't mean "nightlife" wild, but I'm sure that's the case too, as I have heard from the waiters about the "good clubs" to go to, and it was "nice" I don't go, because I am "nice lady."  Haha.  More like reclusive and unmotivated to go to a disco filled with crazy English tourists :-D  

The monsoon has been knocking the power out more often than not, so technology is basically foiled for a good part of the day, which is fine.  I did bring two books to read, along with my Kindle on my iPad, plus working--I have managed to find a way to work from my balcony in the rain, but the wind has become quite heavy making outdoor work unmanageable today, so I am just prepping for tomorrow's departure to Kerala, and all that entails.  As I sit here in the quiet, I hear the monkeys screaming in the trees...initially I thought they were children playing, but now I know better.  At night, some of the birds make the oddest sounds...I thought it was a car alarm for one night, and then I realized where I was, and what it was, and just laughed.  First World programmed....

I had several issues with my Vodafone that I purchased here, and that took nearly 24 hours to hammer out, and was quite frustrating.  I am just starting to feel remotely like myself, after the jetlag is finally beginning to abate, and my leg is about 75% healed.  It is now just a big reddish purple area like a giant bruise, not swollen, etc., and the sting itself is healing nicely, not too ulcerated, but healing.  What a whopper of a sting....I have never experienced anything like it, and hope to never again.  I have prepped all my canvases in my downtime during the storms, so I won't have to bother grounding them when I reach the residency, I can just get to work.  

I also had an issue with my bank cards when I went to use them here, which was pretty horrifying, especially when you are exhausted, feel like sh*t, and have no cell phone or wifi access...but, after trial and error, found out: A.)  American Express is NOT welcome in most stores and hotels, despite their commercials LOL  and B.)  HFDC, a major British bank, DOES accept them, and like a squirrel finding a precious nut, kept having to return to the one ATM about .5 a mile a way, but there is a young man named Rhual (probably misspelled that) who drives the shuttle, and he was very nice to bring me there several times for nothing.  Now, I have to make sure I make one final stop at it before heading to the train station tomorrow, so that I am not short-strapped in Kerala should I not be able to find one there, etc.  

With all of the adjustments, I do feel like India is beginning to grow on me, which is why I would never make a trip like this and stay less than two weeks...by the time you get adjusted, it would be time to leave, and with the added trauma of the leg injury, it would have been a complete bust.  I do enjoy their cuisine, but yesterday, I was feeling a little under the weather in my stomach, so the smells of curry etc. was overwhelming to me, and I hid in my room for most of the evening, ordering room service, of Continental cuisine: just a plain chicken breast with a slightly spicy mushroom sauce that I promptly threw away as I couldn't even bear the slightest odor of it, and some french fries, with a ginger ale.  Fixed me up pretty well, so that this morning, I went to the cafe and had an egg over easy and some buttered toast and a side of fresh papaya, and now I feel pretty good.  I still haven't completely recovered all of my vigor...by around 3 pm, I feel extremely tired, but lucky thing it rains so I almost don't feel bad taking a nap.  Almost.  I still can't unAmericanize myself in that aspect of feeling like a lazy loser if I am not busy at something ALL the time, or mostly, for taking a nap haha.  That one is an offense that is hard for me to overcome, but I've been being "kind" to myself because of my leg and my terror of the injury escalating, so I allowed myself this leeway.

I am very much looking forward to the train ride for some reason--it seems like an exciting journey down through the Indian countryside, but I remember it will be mostly at night, so I will have to remember to wake up a little early, so I can really enjoy the landscapes before we reach Kerala.  I am still somewhat hazy about what my gameplan is when I reach there, in terms of the landscape, landmarks, etc. for my paintings, but I am sure that Triparna, the head of the residency, will know of some interesting sites for me to paint at.  I have high hopes for the beautiful and exotic landscapes and culture, and to paint and interpret that.