Wednesday 4 March 2009

Another Passion


After a few weeks of peeks in others home's I thought it would be nice to show you my room. I think it is one of the fullest rooms you can imagine, and I am not showing all parts or full walls, just a few. Now that I'm showing pieces of my room I wanted to share my other passion beside jewelry making, is painting. I go twice a week to a course here in town to make time for it and I love it.


As mum's birthday is the 20th of December I wanted to give her something special and handmade. Beside some lovely wall hangings from HeliS, I made a portrait of her. If you know our avatar of our shop you know the girl with a big bunch of branch hair, that is a selfportrait I made a few years ago. I wanted to make such a portrait of mum too. By the 20th I was almost ready, and now we are in March I'm still almost ready LOL. I got stuck with it as she looks a bit like Medusa. Her face is not completed either, especially the eyes and mouth have some work to do, but I got mostly stuck at the hair. Mum thought about making stencils of real tree leaves and then stamp them, but I don't like that idea. Maybe I should make some finer branches? Any ideas are welcome, I need some more eyes as I have been looking at it for too long! I guess mum will have to wait a little longer for her birthday present.


This is the picture I made it from, somehow it got all cracked, looks vintage but it isn't!


In the mean time, I started and finished some other drawings untill I see the light for the portrait. The first one is an African tree, I found the photograph in National Geographic and loved the structures and perspective.


Then I made this huge eye, found the inspiration of this one in a fashion magazine with an ad for make up. Hardest part was the eyebrow. I'm waiting for it to dry completly so I can add the shiny part on the iris, just a white dot to finish it.


And now that I'm on it here some older paintings I made in the past years. I'm not a fan of reproducing famous paintings, but I love Mona Lisa and wanted to make her in my own style and color palette.



The hands worked out good, I think.


Only thing that is bothering me is that the nose is too thin which makes it look too long, but I won't touch it, that's the way we learn it, by mistakes.


Here another full wall in my room, you can see our avatar (selfportrait) on the left side and some little drawings. The big bright one on the right was my final project for my art history class with the theme inside and outside. There for the sea and boat is coming in to the room, inside and outside got mixed together, and it brought me through my exams so it has a special place for me.


My bathroom, which I don't use to shower, is the place where I keep my easels and wet paintings, my room is about to explode...



Today I went to drawing class, just like every wednesday and thursday, here you can see the class. Mostly women, these courses are arranged by the municipality for very low cost and perfect for housewives and the people who only work in summer time (like most people do here because of the tourism).


I sit in the hall, nice light and quite as the ladies chat a lot, you can see what I'm working now at, I almost finished this one today, I took this picture before I started.


This is what I see from the window of the class, the main boulevard and the beach.

24 comments:

  1. oh wow, Estella. You are so talented! Wonderful works you did.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ooh Star beautiful painting, looks really like your mum, and she is a very beautiful woman!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Estella, it's so great to see your paintings ! I think you captured your mother quite well. Before I was reading your text, I saw the picture and thought that is her mother.
    Love the African tree painting ! and the inside-outside is a great idea for a challenge theme !

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oooo, I loved this post! And I recpognized your mom at the first sight (I have met her in real life). I think, maybe she just needs a lot more of those branches? Like "you" have in your portrait.

    Really intresting works you have and that Mona Lisa with green hair...haa, love it :)

    ...and I wish some day, some sunny summer day I, or we, can make a holiday down there...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Fantastic style of painting!
    I love the ine of your mum but I see what you mean with the medusa look :-D
    Maybe if you give the branches a slightly less rounded look , a bit more crusty like bark. That might work very well.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You are such talented girl Estella!
    Paintings are amazing! I love them!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow! You are so talented and on your way to a fabolous painter career!
    About the Medusa look, yeah, Heli is right. Much more branches in a not so "clean" way should do the trick.

    ReplyDelete
  8. No doubt, you are a real artist!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. your painting marvelous! I love your avatar very much, the colorful hair especially. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Haaaaaaaaaa! I paint too :D :D I did one year of Art University :P but I rarely paint as I don't have any place to paint here :( And as I prefer oil paintings I need to work in a well ventilated room too...
    But enough of me!

    Great paintings! I especially like the tree :)
    For your mother, maybe you could make the hair next to the head a bit denser. Right now the hair are all to homogeneous from start to end.
    Not sure if I'm clear :/
    But I love that painting anyway :)

    I'm happy, I love seeing paintings :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. You are so talented! I liked your paintings! About your mother portrait - maybe add very small flowers (like dots)on the branch - one or two, just to avoid "medusa" look. It'll be like tree in the spring evening because of dark blue background.

    ReplyDelete
  12. You are incredibly talented!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. You never cease to amaze me with all of your talent! Your paintings are wonderful and your Mom is beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow Estella!!!Incredible paintings!!!You are so talented!!!
    You mom's portrait is fantastic!!Maybe it needs some more small branches like in your avatar :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. fabulous Star ...its so wonderful to see your other works !!! love that ....
    love how packed your room is ...love that everything is exploding out of your head and your mums head ...its brilliant !!!


    xxx

    ReplyDelete
  16. Woww!!! You are so talented, Estella! I don't think, the hair of your mom look like Medusa's hair (the green Monalisa's hair make me think of uhm, a creature from the deepest of the sea maybe? ;)) - it's beautiful already. You should go on (haha.. here's the biggest procrastinator talking *lol*). You can cover it with another layer, if you still don't like it. Don't forget to show, once you're finished :)
    I love the left painting in your bathroom!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh, how I'd love to know how to draw...I always admire people who can draw/paint.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Love the painting you are doing of your mother. Your hair on your self painting is striking and I always take a second look when it comes up. Not sure I am qualified
    to add comments - BUT - the addition of some other colors and more hair would be nice.
    Love you blog and look forward to seeing your finished porch/work area.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Big talent, Estella! I always loved the avatar! I would leave mum's portrait as it is. It looks like her photo!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh wow, I'm impressed at your talent! You have done a wonderful job so far on your mom's birthday present. What a beautiful gift! :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Estella, amazing paintings - I really ♥ them :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Estella, I am so glad to see your paintings! I feel even more connected to you now! Your works are amazing and you are so talented. I wish you picked up your brushes again, we could exhibit together on Etsy or in a blog! I would LOVE that!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Estella! Beautiful paintings!!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Really beautiful and unique paints! you got talent Estella! :)

    ReplyDelete