Influences; A Painting on Paper

Influences is a multi-media painting on paper by Tree Pruitt.

I found myself awakened in the middle of the night and unable to drift back to sleep right away, so I decided to let my pencil wander through a bit of relaxed drawing; the little painting in this entry is the end result. I didn't seem to have anything in particular in mind but shapes and forms began to flow alright. By the time the paper seemed to have a composition to the group of images I was able to pleasantly drift back to sleep. The next day I worked the color and forms to a more refined level with Holbein water color paint, Derwent watercolor pencils, Prismacolor pencils, some acid free collage papers, and acrylic paint thinned with acrylic gloss varnish. I've included a couple of close-up views here, (though Blogger seems to show my images a bit darker than they should).
Clicking on an image will open a larger version, for a better look; you may need to click the page back to return here from viewing the image.

I had a good time and enjoyed working with the high key colors. The vibrant blue and pink are both created from Holbein brand water color paint. The 'Opera' creates a super hot pink and rich warm orange tones. The 'Peacock Blue' is probably my favorite blue of any brand or paint medium! These colors really "pop" more so than my camera and Blogger will pick-up. The butterfly and giant thumbprint are pre-printed collage paper I adhered with PVA glue, as well as the areas of artist tissue paper to the right side of the piece and over the moon like shape. The black dots are created with acrylic painted and gloss varnish that I allowed to thicken by drying slightly. I later added highlights to the dots in areas by pressing the painting onto another piece of paper, which when pulled away left small amounts of paper fiber stuck to the highest points of the dots. I personally think the differences in texture, layer and color are pleasing.

It wasn't until my husband walked by the studio table and remarked on the piece that I realized it was a self portrait - which seems silly now, in hindsight, that I hadn't noticed before! There are several metaphysical symbols within the painting that relate to myself, my eyes are green, and the inclusion of the nose ring on the same side as my own should have been a give-away! Now that my eyes are more open, I've enjoyed looking at the painting to interpret what my subconscious was leaking onto the paper, (and still chuckling at myself for not having been more aware). So, I've aptly title the piece as "Influences", and leave it up to the viewer to decide what each element may represent. ;)

*Original art images ©Tree Pruitt, unless otherwise indicated. Contact the artist prior to ANY use or for purchase information.

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Medicine Woman Painting Near Finished

Recently I was overcome with the urge to sort of doodle, to allow imagery free flow from within, and the un-finished canvas shown here is the result. I had lain down to go to sleep, a few days ago, when the mental pictures began to flow. I grabbed some sketch paper to take notes and refer back to the next day. Tonight I feel as if I've worked this piece to a state of being very close to finished, so I took a couple of quick snap shots to look at it in a different way. Since it was moving towards evening the photos are dark, but I think the elements can all be seen well enough for now. Clicking an image will open a slightly larger version in a new window. The entire painting is done with Liquitex Acrylics and Prismacolor Pencils on canvas.

Generally a painting is well planned, or even fully mapped out, but I've had fun allowing this one to grow as it seemed to like. I can't say what inspired the concept; sometimes these things just happen. I've been in a phase of using Impressionistic brush strokes a little on the wild side, so it's been a bit of a challenge to switch back to Realism ... but this painting isn't exactly 'reality' based, is it? The main character is a young Native American woman wearing eagle feathers in her hair and a poignant expression; perhaps she's only recently discovered her Path as a Medicine Woman, perhaps she looks upon us with compassion. Her vision emerges from the energy of spider, the weaver of life. Behind her is the strong presence of raven, who is nearly always a symbol of magic in cultures and mythology. Behind her hovers a white moth intended to portray the presence of the spirits of ancestors. The background houses spirit orbs, pine trees, distant mountains, and a salamander in the Full Moon watches over the valley below.



I think I'll work on her jewelry accessories a bit more, and perhaps add a touch of a silver glint to the spider webbing in places. Whatever my choices are, when the painting IS finished I'll happily show it here in a better light.




*Original art images ©Tree Pruitt, unless otherwise indicated. Contact the artist prior to ANY use or for purchase information.

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Handmade Earring Get Honored

Recently, my handmade Spiral Comet Dangle Earrings were honored to be chosen as a feature at Mellow Tones, a handmade shopping guide blog. The earrings are from my Mystic Atlantis Primitive Jewelry Collection of one of a kind pieces. They are hand shaped hammered copper in a spiral with comet like trails that dangle & move; the style pretends it is an ancient treasure from the past.

The Mellow Tones mission is stated as, "to showcase simply beautiful handcrafted goods at fair prices from seasoned artisans... We value fine quality, individual style and patronizing cottage businesses. Our goal is to show you handcrafted goods with heart and soul can cost the same or less than department store banality. We tackle the maze of websites to find products for any budget, for those of us who have been around the block a few times... We only feature goods you can purchase directly from the artist, and this is not a paid directory. It's a place we hope you'll enjoy visiting. It's an online shopping guide for the rest of us. No fads, no hype."

Sandra, of Mellow Tones, is a fellow Etsian with her own shop at ReBopShop and also a fellow member of the Old World Shoppes of Etsy. OWS is a team of artisans representing historical crafts and vintage inspired creations. You can learn more about the OWS Team at our blog http://oldworldshoppes.blogspot.com/.

These earrings were fun to make, and I'm glad to share them with the Net world!


*Original art images ©Tree Pruitt, unless otherwise indicated. Contact the artist prior to ANY use or for purchase information.

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