As blue as my blue paintings get?

I seriously started this painting tonight, and I'm excited to get to work on it this weekend. It will have more fishes, and a somewhat more graphic flare, but what excites me most is that it's a bigger surface! I really miss working bigger than 3' in a direction, and it feels great to have my body interacting with the plane. Not just fingers and wrists. It was delightfully distracting to feel my spine and neck moving around, and I've missed it!

These newer paintings seem to be about goals and pursuit. Which is interesting, because it seems rather detached from the bio-psycho flare my work typically has. I think I need to work some of those ideas back into the work, because I think there is a strength in the biological approach as those viewing the art have something meaningful to relate to. We can all take part in the discussion of the body. Nevertheless, it's freeing to explore different concepts, and being the control freak I am, I am excited to link whatever I find in these works to... well, rather lamely stated, past and future pieces. I am happy this painting is succeeding in confronting some of my technological weaknesses as well, and I can tell I will be learning quite a bit from the process regardless of the results.

I guess maybe the goals are coming from personal psychological goals to overcome oneself. Which is to let the body free itself from biologically induced torment? Do I know what I'm talking about? (That means no.)

Note: Please excuse my poor photo. I paint at night because I work in the day, and I'm just so excited to look at it the next day on my lunch break that I have to post it! Also - the real painting really isn't all the blue - the iridescence is just reflecting a schwack.

Don't Call me Dolly

Completed! I am actually super pumped about this painting - it's a lot different than most of my recent work, and it's fun to try a new vein with some success. I'm still working on what exactly I'm trying to get at conceptually, but it seems to still be sticking to the biologically psychological thread I seem to tread. I'll paint it out.

PS: don't forget to actually click on the image if you want a better view of the detail.

Don't Call Me Dolly - a slop of a fish painting

Hahahhhaaaaaaaaaaa...

I was having some fun and getting a little messy and exploring how to paint a fish. I think it's pretty interesting actually, although maybe a little immaturely rendered. It's been a while since I have tried to paint something figurative, which reminds me that I need more fish photos. My bros have sent me some good ones, but it's hard to get pictures of them live in action! Especially up close enough to get some decent detail. Nevertheless, alls well that ends well, and I had enough fun to justify painting this, if only for that reason. It's also a nice kick in the pants telling me to make sure I have a figure to reference! Tsk tsk.

It also reminded me that figurative painting is not that hard (albeit not exactly second nature for the goop-loving me). I think it's a nice vein to be exploring for a little while.

Welp. This is where I've left off. I am going to try to draw a decent salmon. I mostly just wanted to document that this painting did look pretty decent at one point. Haha... aaah. I have no faith in my salmon drawing skillz. I haven't really been able to find a decent image of a salmon from the perspective I was hoping to approach it, so I am feeling less than golden. I will be super irritated if the damn thing starts looking like a koi.

Yes, it IS time to start drawing it, Rachelle. There's nothing else you can do until this is done.

Bully painting.

New painting. So there.

Umm... started a new painting. Not sure where it's going. It's making me nervous. I can't tell if it looks like river rocks, fish scales, or leopard print. I guess all these things make me happy, but... I can't help but feel like I'm at a bit of a standoff. Lots of staring and sighing at this point. Productive, I know!

My idea is to do a salmon painting (if you guessed rocks of some sort, you would be correct!), and even a live salmon! Maybe fish heads too, but... mostly just it's being alive. It is also supposed to touch on animal guidance and our hyper emotional, hardly perceptive attention of surroundings and connections, and failure to balance spiritual understanding to the objective. It is also still playing with ideas of biological emotion and our limitations within it. Especially as believers that bodily experiences can be divine.

I'll try not to resort to a big bloody fishy mess on this one. I might even try some other colours. Get a little wild.

Rachelle's work leaves home

Well well well, Blog. I remember you. And all the guilt you bring me whenever people ask if they can view some of my art online. It's excruciatingly embarrasing to say, "Yes, I have some online, but the site has not been updated in over a year." And here's the clincher - I want people to be able to see all the work! Shame on me (3 hail Mary's?).

Here is a deposit of images.

Okay.

Here is a deposit of images that reflect the paintings that I recently hung in a fabulous coffee shop in Victoria called Solstice Cafe (529 Pandora Street). I am so excited and proud to have some of my work on display, and in such a cool place! Let's put it this way... they have an award on the wall for being the best place in Victoria to breastfeed. And the food is amazing. And the tea... don't get me started. But either way, here's an update of what I've been up to, and I intend to dedicate some efforts to keep this website in better shape.

PS: If you actually click on the images above, they should expand so you can see bigger images. Also, anything with fish heads in it tends to be newer work. Cheers all!

My meat helps compose the heavens.

Painting Update: Sept. 14, 2009. Here is where we are standing now with this painting. Also, note the detail photo so you can really get a feel for what it looks like in real life. It's gory in the perfect romantic way.




New project: Sept. 13, 2009. This is sort of a continuation of the practice with dogs, fish heads, frustration, value of self, and demonstration of the biological expression of emotion. Plus there is just something about meat that is hilarious.