Collection: Upside Down and All Around

You know how most meals have a main course and some side dishes. This was a side dish. This collection was happening along side a "main dish." I worked on these paintings at the end of painting sessions. I painted the majority of them upside down for a few reasons: 
1) because that’s how they were stored in my workspace and it was easiest to pop them in and out that way
2) I wanted to say loose with them
3) it was a fun challenge.
This process contributes to the title of the collection. The feeling they helped me feel was of perseverance. Keeping on going, that’s it. I think that’s a recurring theme for myself these days and it came out through these paintings too.

When viewers see these paintings I want them to feel the hope and spirit that keeps us going when it’s not easy. 

A break through moment was deciding to stripe the edges. I always take a lot of care with the edges of paintings that I sell, but this was a new way to expand the art. This also lead to the title to take the paint “all around” with added design and graphical framing. I always love when art pieces have some organic and graphic elements. So, by adding the stripe to the edges I felt I didn’t have to put stripes on the vases and like how they turned out.

I have appreciated all of the support and feedback from Instagram friends on these. I even first ran the idea of striping the sides by drawing them in for an Instagram story…on a day I was wearing pink and green and feeling momentarily obsessed with the color combo and finding it everywhere. I didn’t set out to stripe the sides or even really to sell these paintings, however the online feedback opened me up to the idea. 

I love how hydrangeas often form the support structure of an arrangement and I wanted to work that bit of realism into these otherwise abstract florals. Each hydrangea always seems to be made up of a bunch of hearts all squished together. so I was also thinking of that as I made them.

I feel grateful that these shook out in such a low stress way. I wasn’t chasing them. I think that’s how I want more of my art to be. Oops, all side projects!