More Cosmic Whales...
Spotting Starwhales II
(9x12", Oil) Price: $175.00 SOLD
I've been on a bit on an inspiration kick lately concerning pointy rocketships and cosmic whales. Not sure why. But it has made painting rather fun. I'm painting them for myself, so I get to indulge the quirky side of fantasy and science fiction art. Hey, it works for other artists and their personal works, so why not me?
This is an expansion on a theme that I painted for the cover of an Australian fiction magazine, Andromeda Spaceways In-Flight Magazine (that issue edited by my dear friend, Edwina Harvey) a few years ago. I always liked the original painting and wished that I'd accomplished it better. People seemed to like it though, and the orginal painting sold to a film director, so it can't have been too bad. Anyway, I like all of the pinks and purples that go great with the bluish whales and dolphin. And the composition is tighter in this version. The whales themselves look like they're having a blast. I wouldn't mind being in that rocket, looking at them and smiling.
So, what do the whales represent? I'm not sure at this stage. I'm still on the journey with them. However, I get the feeling that they represent 'life' and its journey throughout the realms of time and space. A higher consciousness. Greatness...the 'something better in all of us' to aspire to. I'll let you know when I know...but that could take quite a while. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the ride...
For this painting, I used: French Ultramarine, Alizarin Crimson, Cobalt Blue, Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow Hue, Burnt Sienna, Magenta, and a little bit of Cobalt Violet. Lots of blending brushes....
Cheers,
Marianne
Labels: cosmic whales, Marianne Plumridge, marine fantasy art, pointy rocket ships
posted by Marianne | 9:58 AM
5 Comments:
Cosmically beautiful.
Carl Sagan would love it. The colour scheme really resonates with me. If only I could reproduce nebulas and this scene in a quilt... sigh.
And now for the worlds dumbest question, how long did it take you?
Hi Annie!
Thanks so much. This was one of three paintings I did in a week. It took two sessions to paint this one; the first was about two hours to get the nebula 'right' and block in the ship. I liberally used my favourite big blending brush and cursing liberally when I had to pick loose brush hairs out of the painting with tweezers and not disturb the paint. This was painted very thinly. The second session took also two-three hours, depending how many times I went down to make some tea. :-D The second session saw me complete the nebula by adding brighter highlights, darkening a few others with a drybrush wash, finishing the ship and painting in the whales and dolphin. A bit of spatter came last. It dried for five days before I gave it a coat of Kamar Varnish.
Surprisingly, the colours and pointy rocket ship resonated with other people as well: I sold all three paintings straight off the bat at Boskone SF convention in Boston this weekend. And I have inspiration for several other paintings that I want to do. :-D
Mari
Hours?!?? You did this in HOURS?!?!?!
They haven't invented a swear word powerful enough to stick in front of hell!!
That's fantastic!
Moni and I were talking about quilts the other day, and at a quilt show with over 400 quilts, the ones everybody were drawn to were the ones with the green blue purple 'jewel' tones.
It's so weird the way our brains seem wired to really connect with certain colour combinations.
I am so happy your paintings sold. It must make you very happy to see people connect with your art so deeply that they buy it without hesitation.
The nebulas. Sigh. That could also be something that so appeals to us earth bound creatures...
I had a nasty experience with hairs from a very expensive brush suddenly sticking in my precious metal clay when I was 'tickling it'. After picking that out, the next week, teacher's bloody CAT droppped hairs in it. Now I have cat texture baked into my 99.9% pure silver brooch...
Dear Mare,
Sorry, I just got into trouble from the kidlettes who have instructed me to say that they too love this picture. Grace likes the 'whale on it's back' and Matthew is very taken with the 'whale tail' that is disappearing 'in the wormhole'.
Hey, Annie.
Thanks for all of your lovely comments on the Starwhales. :-D Thank the kidlettes too. They gorgeous, talented kidlettes, too! Just like their mum. :-D
Hours? I've gotten good at noodling backgrounds and happily smoodge till the cows come home. But the lights over my painting table tend to start drying the paint out within an hour. I also paint reasonably thinly - which can be good or bad - which allows for quick drying time. If I know exactly what I'm doing - never a given - I can work a second painting while the first one is drying. Like I did yesterday. :-D
Green, blue and purple are the healing, transformation, psychic colours. They soothe and cool the mind and spirit. I have a lot of them around the house - usually mixed with versions of Bob's favourite colour: quinicridone Gold - and some small bits of bright pink or dark raspberry. Aside from the gold, all are mainly cool in nature and jewel toned clarity.
It's nice to see something of mine sell at all. I sold so little in recent years that I gave up on it entirely. However, my imaginative romance with space still runs strong and is coming out in some of my paintings now. Other artists have their pet combinations that do well for them - Eric Joyner and his spectacularly fun donut and tin toy paintings are brilliant. Me, I seem to be coming back to the quintessential silvery pointy rocket ship - with cosmic whales! And really pretty nebulas. Go figure. :-D
Urk about the cat hairs. However, 500 years from now, someone will discover your brooch and the cat DNA within, and go Eureka! We can cone kitties! Mind you, that might not be an entirely good thing: they breed really fast. As cute and cuddly as they are. :-D
Hugs,
Marianne
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