Artsy Fartsy Files

Discoveries

I was asked recently to paint a picture.  It has been a while so I had to root through a ton of supplies long stashed away to find the necessary tools.  During my search I unearthed one of my sketchbooks from 2007 and discovered one of my favorite tiny paintings.

Bulls

This particular piece was inspired by an old Indian textile book I had purchased when I was doing a lot of block printing some years ago.  I had dashed it off rather quickly in a fit of inspiration  and then sort of forgot about it.  In fact, I was reminded of it a few years ago when I saw John Robshaw’s country house spread in the Oct/Nov 2010 issue of Lonny.

Lonny Oct/Nov 2010

 

It was sort of an OMG moment of wow did Mr. Robshaw swipe my painting and slam it on some fabric?  Which is admittedly insane because he is the king of Indian textiles but it was weird all the same.  I remembered having done something similar.  So I went hunting for it.  COULD. NOT. FIND. IT.  Anywhere.  Thought perhaps I had given it to someone as a gift.  Then I discovered it yesterday in that sketchbook under a bed buried under a bunch of unused art supplies.  Definitely different but clearly we were inspired by similar origins.  I have fallen in love with my bulls all over again.  And made a few other discoveries in that sketchbook…

Done prior to pregnancy & motherhood -
I think it is safe to assume I was a bit skittish about the prospect

Kingyo -
during my pond digging days

inspired by a piece of my grandmother's Delft that I inherited

a prototype for some project that I canned a few years ago

This time round pictographs were the inspiration for the commission as the recipient has traveled to various locations around the world appreciating them over the years.  I must admit to not knowing much about them prior to the request so it has been a wonderful journey of discovery and I am sort of obsessed.  I feel a pictograph series coming on now that I have unearthed both my watercolor paints and block printing inks.

Hanksville Spirits -
it went off to the framer's today

then I fiddled with the image and I sort of love this

All paintings and images by mrs. V unless otherwise noted

kisses, mrs. V