the tropics.

the time is here for the inspiration to start brainwashing my every thought. school is in session. it's been for a while now but i decided to push it off a few weeks to tie a knot & swim in the caribbean with the one i love. but now, i have finally gotten into the groove and im having a BLAST! aside from the art history test that is about to whip me into shape, and a research paper about the sir isaac newton, i am having a whoppin' ball in my painting III class. 

lets begin by saying, my teacher has totally thrown me out of my element. and it's terrifying. he loves abstract art. so do i, but i mostly admire it and wish i could do what those are able to do. to some, abstract art isn't considered art. i get it, to each their own. for me, i find certain abstract art so beautiful and decorative. i love the color palette and the organic shapes. i love the fact that its art for arts sake. but i envy those who are able to forget the left side of their brain and not think, but instead go by instinct. that is so hard for me. i am so complicated because i am all about technique, detail and perfection. i normally paint people so to not have a subject matter is a complete DANGER zone. i think too hard as to what to put here, what color i should splash there, rather than not thinking at all and going with my gut feeling. 

so for our first painting, which is on quite a large scale of a canvas (can you tell?) is all about what i fear/envy. and marcus knows that this is not quite up my alley. but with great criticism and direction and INSPIRATION, i'm thinking im heading somewhere and i am beginning to not know who i am anymore! i have never done anything like this. i am more excited because i can confidently say that i was able to let go of all rules, of all thinking and method and just paint for the sake of painting. and i am having a complete blast! not knowing what this will end up looking like or even not knowing when to end the painting and call it quits is quite exciting and im so looking forward to the end result. so far, i am very pleased with what i have come up with! i didn't know i had it in me. 

i have a fetish for tropical birds, and insects. strange and random, i know. but i find them both beautiful and mesmerizing. i love to collect vintage insect enamel brooches, something my mom and i love to browse through in antique stores and online. i love to hunt and find the most eclectic and unique pieces. and yes, i actually wear them! zeke calls me the brooch lady. to him, it ain't a compliment, to me, i beam when he says it. i tell him it's my signature piece and he just grins. on with the birds... aside from halloween (which i could tinkle thinking about. i am so excited the month of spooky and eeriness is a week away!) my mind consistently stays in a tropical humid season. mentally, i am always on an island. therefore, when i should be purchasing a large heavy coat with fur, i purchase a bright floral printed dress meant to be worn on a warm summer night. it doesn't make sense. i just love anything tropical because i love the lushness of the season. i love the organic shapes of the leaves, the colors of the kelly greens and the chartreuse yellows. i love tropical birds with their many colors and textures. i could go on for hours, but i'll spare you the chatter. 

this months jcrew style guide was taken place in tokyo, which isn't tropical, but some of the spread consisted of backdrops of palm trees, while others had the models holding up large palms from a tree itself. the outfits worn had texture, lots of tweeds and brocades. and like the photograph above, which was my favorite shot taken from the jcrew spread, had the touch of the tropical birds with a splash of her blood orange polish and lipstick. when i flipped to this page, i died and went straight to heaven. literally, straight up there. like the snap of the fingers, i knew what kind of direction i wanted to go for the painting. at first, before i saw this image, i thought of the louisiana bayou. though i have never been, i dream of it often. it's a dream vacation i have to visit new orleans, sail on the bayou in a river boat with jazz music and lots of lights. dancing, and cajun creole food. visit the voodoo/hoodoo shops and frolic in the yards of the plantation homes. it's all i ever dream of. so the first layer of paint was portraying the dark blues and greens of the water in the bayou. once i had that laid down... i became lost and scared to go wild on the canvas, until jcrew of tokyo and my love for the tropics played in. 

and there you have it. my first piece of the semester! and i could not be more excited. thanks for tuning in, wether you really care, or not.