Documenting "Layers of Life"

Layers of Life - Acrylic on 16" x 20" gallery wrapped canvas

Here are some shots of this painting as it evolved...

I began working on this painting this weekend and found that I was getting too tight and too literal with my "circle" theme.

Today I went in with bright colors to open up the space and get a lot more action happening.

I was really feeling the turquoise/orange/yellow combo...

And then I started to get into the feeling of lots and lots of layers in various levels of translucency...

The finished product has this wild, frenzied action all over the surface with a gradual lightening as it works towards the top. I am feeling inspired by Lee Krasner's Noon - a piece that has moved me for years - as well as the abstract qualities of the great impressionists. I still have farther to push this series but I'm really liking where I'm headed right now.

Frenzy

Frenzy - Acrylic on 36" x 36" canvas

Took some of the anxiety I've been feeling to the canvas today. It was quite cathartic! If you're worrying I'm going through something, don't - it's a cyclical experience if ya know what I mean. ;) And if you don't then you're too young to be reading my blog. Viva the rollercoaster that is being a woman! RARRRR!!

Flying Away With Strings Attached

Acrylic diptych on two 16" x 20" canvases, 2009

http://www.jessicatorrant.etsy.com/

As you can see with these latest paintings, I'm coming out of my mellow summer mood into an intensified period. It's in great part due to a natural cycle - spring and fall are animated and energized times, summer and winter are quieter, calmer. My mood dictates where the paint with fly or gently land on any given day and this week I've had a lot of powerful internal "stuff" to process and release. I've been reflecting on how when I work like this, it's still a meditation, just more physically engaging and activated than you typically imagine. When I'm already in a calm state, painting that mood just takes me further into the zone. When I'm more agitated like I have been, working it out through paint eventually leads to a peaceful state of mind - the calm after the storm. So really, no matter what my mood is, painting takes me to the same place. As for what is created, the art is a document of the journey.

The Secret's Out

Acrylic on 30" x 40" canvas, 2009
http://www.jessicatorrant.etsy.com/

Raw, expressive, get it all out....

Beautiful Beyond 1 and 2

Beautiful Beyond 2 - Acrylic on 16" x 20" canvas

Beautiful Beyond 1 - Acrylic on 16" x 20" canvas

These are two paintings I made last fall. I just photographed them and added them to my Etsy shop today. www.livefunky.etsy.com

In an Instant

Original acrylic painting on 8" x 10" stretched canvas. Created in 8/2008.

Since I am trying to keep my Etsy shop filled with only the best of the best, I decided to list this painting on eBay instead because the canvas has stapled sides. I bought staple sided canvases for years at a discount store in the area because, well, they were inexpensive and readily available. But I've found that spending a bit more on a staple free canvas is so worth it because so many contemporary art collectors don't want to worry about a frame.

I like the interesting palette in this piece - a soft pink contrasted against darks and a bold yellow. I'm starting the bidding at a much lower price than what I'd usually charge so if you're looking to invest in my art, but you want an affordable option, you should CHECK OUT THIS AUCTION!