Animal Inspired Paintings

New artwork

15 Mar

This year I've started collaging regularly with national geographic magazines. As a result, I'm finding animals, particularly elephants, are becoming surprising new features in my work ...

For me, there's something so majestic and present about elephants ... I sense a strong connection with family, authenticity and humility around them. Perhaps this is why I've been drawn to them, as these values are particularly significant at this time of my Life.

When I came across a beautiful photo of a baby elephant in my magazine stash, I knew the missing piece of this painting had arrived. I glued her into the centre of the canvas and adorned her in gold and tribal markings, to represent owning her newly emerging strength of Spirit.

She looked as though she was emerging from a womb-like seed pod, as if she was coming out into the world baring her real, vulnerable self with new-found courage. The gold on her body was reflected in the tree foliage, and a feeling of abundance burst from within me and onto the canvas. Prior to the elephant, the tree was bare, so her energy certainly influenced the direction this painting took on.

The fox in the painting evolved too ... moving beyond the traditional sense of a cunning, running, stealthy creature. Now she stands still, present, owning her birth-right and ready to embrace her calling from Spirit. I love her motherly gaze, present yet powerful.

At the weekend, 'Emerging through Strength' found a home. Her new owner, Sabine came to visit my studio this afternoon and felt such a strong connection with this painting, she took her straight home. It's a wonderful thing as an Artist to witness someone making such a deep connection to an Artwork. I love that this will be cherished every day by Sabine.

{ Discover a little 15 second video of the making of 'Emerging through Strength' click HERE. }

I'll leave you with a couple of other animal-inspired collage pieces I've been creating. Yup, another baby elephant with a smile on her face and a flower for an ear sits in the bottom left corner, surrounded by Spirit-coloured energy, birds, jewels and florals. Here it is, before and after:

As my collection of animal-inspired pieces grows, I've created a new online gallery of works called 'Animal Totems'. Deer Heart below, is one of them.