Monthly Archives: April 2020

A Flying Leap Into Spring

Posted on by
May we all rise above this damn pandemic and leap into the beauty of spring!

May we all rise above this damn pandemic and leap into the beauty of spring!

With this on-going pandemic continuing to bring us all down, I wanted to paint something that was totally uplifting. That was my goal as I began to ponder ideas.

For some reason, I zeroed in on a ballerina. I’ve always been fascinated by their amazing grace and power as it takes great athletic ability to do the many moves they make.

I knew I wanted to paint the ballerina out in the open, set against a blue sky. It was then that I decided to put her in a field of sunflowers and she would be holding two of them in her hands in mid-leap form.

So that was my initial sketch that I worked up.

I spent quite a while on scaling up my small sketch onto the canvas, paying special attention to the ballerina. Since she was the focal point of the painting, I knew I had to get her features correct.

Generally, I don’t paint too many faces. I have a tendency to overwork the image until it becomes a muddled mess.

The painting began with the sky. I went from a straight blue sky to working in the cloud formations that you see. Initially, I thought I had overdone the largest cloud and that it would take away from the grace of the ballerina. But I decided to let it be and move on to the flowers. Even now, I can see the shape of a praying mantis in that cloud formation. But that’s how clouds are supposed to be – where you can see objects or things that aren’t really there.

The sunflowers were more of a challenge than I anticipated. They needed to be defined in the foreground and nebulous in the background. Initially, the backdrop was flat but I thought adding distant hills on the horizon helped to define everything a bit more.

When I began painting the ballerina, her dress was more bluish which I quickly decided didn’t work. So I went with more of a plum color and tried to maintain the shape of her legs underneath the dress. I actually painted her face first before I moved on to the dress. I used a very fine tipped paint brush to highlight her features.

Though this painting may not fit my normal surrealistic approach, there is still a hint of surrealism as she’s probably about 15 feet in the air meaning she either has enormous power or I’m simply using her as a metaphor for all of us to rise above.

I’m hoping that in the coming weeks, we may all be able to leap into spring. There is beauty everywhere. And it is meant to be enjoyed.

In addition to creating advertising and marketing communications by day, I’m also a recognized artist whose works are enjoyed by many around the world. If you know anyone who you think might enjoy these updates and overviews, you can sign up for my free art newsletter at https://www.bloodlinesart.com/email-newsletter. Also, if my prices are keeping you from purchasing anything, know that you can order prints of my work on Artfully Walls. You can also order prints as well as get my artwork put onto a variety of items like iPhone covers, pillow throws, tote bags, greeting cards, coffee cups, shower curtains and a wide variety of other items by visiting my other website on Pixels. As if that weren’t enough, more items are now available on Vida on an even wider variety of items – from umbrellas to yoga mats, clothing and jewelry to household items. I also invite you to follow me on Instagram to see work in progress from start to finish!

Social Distancing with a touch of Magritte

Posted on by
I took a surrealistic viewpoint of Social Distancing and this is the result.

I took a surrealistic viewpoint of Social Distancing and this is the result.

To say that the Coronavirus has changed the way we live is an understatement.

In January, no one had ever heard of the term, “Social Distancing”.

Now, it’s the new norm and there’s no telling how long it will be in effect.

These days, a simple walk in the park is no longer possible. You have to go out of your way to stay out of the way.

I totally get it.

But I certainly don’t like it.

Personally, we have been lucky so far, able to avoid the ravages of the Coronavirus. Like so many others, we have abided by the rules, sheltering ourselves at home and when we do go out, keeping our six-foot distance from others.

I thought to myself, “Why not somehow portray this in a painting and do it in what I think is now my own unmistakeable style?” The man in the bowler hat, my on-going homage to the Belgian surrealist master, Rene Magritte, would anchor the right portion of the painting. And in a similar style, a woman with her blond hair braided and in all black occupies the left portion of the canvas.

There is a noticeable gap between them.

They each stand with their backs to the viewer, so that you, as well as they are all staring out at some body of water and a distant horizon.

Though the sky is blue, the moon is out – another Magritte reference. It could be dawn. It could be dusk.

There’s a light on the horizon, perhaps signaling that better times are just ahead.

I like to think so.

When you see this painting for real, it is quite striking. It’s 36″ x 48″. The two figures really stand out against the background.

It’s a painting that had Social Distancing never entered our vocabulary – if the Coronavirus had never come our way – would still be quite striking.

But with this damn virus, it has a whole new meaning.

I hope you all are well and healthy and that we can return to some sort of normalcy in the very near future.

Thanks for reading!

In addition to creating advertising and marketing communications by day, Tom is also a painter by night. His work is available on a variety of websites. For example, you can order prints of my work on Artfully Walls. You can also order prints as well as get my artwork put onto a variety of items like iPhone covers, pillow throws, tote bags, greeting cards, coffee cups, shower curtains and a wide variety of other items by visiting my other website on Pixels. As if that weren’t enough, more items are now available on Vida on an even wider variety of items – from umbrellas to yoga mats, clothing and jewelry to household items. I also invite you to follow me on Instagram to see work in progress from start to finish!