Feeling the past

Cave Ponies 8x10 oil

I love this painting. I while back I was asked to talk to a group of elementary students about heritage/traditional activities. I talked about art and asked them what the oldest painting looked liked. The usual expected responses came up with Leonardo & the Mona Lisa but they were very surprised when I showed them pictures of cave drawings. The kids were fascinated and while some debated whether or not cave paintings qualified as art work I became inspired also.

I went home and looked at other cave paintings and I decided to try one...in a modern sense, I am a modern girl after all! I only used 4 colours, ones I knew could be found in real life and I limited the brushes I used. I love the warmth and simlicity this painting shows and if I had to live in a cave I'd have colours and prancing ponies on the walls too!

Shell Thoughts 4x4 Oil

My kids are home from a week long camp. After spending the afternoon washing clothing that had a smell that most hockey players would run from we settled into the conversation of "what cha been uptoo?"
My son walked down the hall to the studio and immediately noticed the painting "Lotsa Go" and proclaimed this to be the "coolest ever" and admonished that I should do all my paintings in this style.
When he went into the studio and saw the Meerkat painting excitedly said "I love this. You should do all your paintings in this style"
I love the kids reactions to my art. They are so honest. They tell it exactly as they see it and it is like a breath of fresh air. When I dyed my hair a rather unbecoming shade of red that wouldn't wash out no matter how many trips I made through the faucet my son just looked at me and quietly said, "Oh Mom. Can you fix it?" All my husband said was "If you like it." My kids, handed me a hat each and everytime I left the house!
Shell Thoughts is my new attempt at something different. I actually think it is a migraine residue! My brain is still recovering from that delightful experience but even as I will probably always equate this painting with funky post migraine disorder, my daughter, who is a little funky too, strolled past this morning saw this picture and said "Cool Mom. I love it."
What started out as a painting of a small shell turned into a illustrated Native inspired story. If you look closely you'll see the earth, sky and sea represented along with a pair of hands around the shell. It was a fun painting to do and as I explore the world of artistic license I find more and more things to inspire me. Having children that act as an honesty gauge helps prevent me from entering that "I'm an artist and you wouldn't understand" trap.
I think we should listen to young people more often.