Bruised Reed

Bruised Reed
Bruised Reed

When I posted this work on Etsy where I offer original art, I got a comment from another artist that really made me smile. Right away that artist recognized from where I got the phrase, “bruised reed.” I was surprised by that but it was a welcome surprise.

Her face is striking; I know.
She pulls at the heart; I know.
She’s stripped to the bone.
She’s bruised but not broken.

Art Title: Bruised Reed
Art by: Faith Magdalene Austin
Size and Medium: black ink, strikes of color on light grain sketchbook paper. 4.5 × 7, signed, sealed, mounted. * SOLD *

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Nala Original Art

Nala fmaArt Title: Nala
Art by: Faith Magdalene Austin
Medium: Acrylic, ink, acrylic seal
11 x 14 Artist Board

I knew when I began this painting that I wanted a young girl to sit on the water’s edge with koi coming to meet her. I wanted a lot of texture with small details. To increase texture I added sand to her mahogany – rust colored pants. Her blouse is layer after layer of white paint and butter cream acrylic paint. This affect came together nicely to form a tunic top. Continue reading “Nala Original Art”

What the Heart Wants

Heart Wants fmaShe stands 6.5 inches tall and is 4 inches wide on heavy weight paper. In order to create your painting I first used crayola crayons then began to smooth the colors together with my fingers. I etched with my fingers then used crayola markers. Water was used to move the marker around creating an etched finger painting in Crayola. Details were added in oil pastel and black ink.

Here she is full of emotion, with her eyes closed, head to the side and heart exposed and open. She is vulnerable, full of love, capable of loving much. But what is it that her heart wants? She closes her eyes and she listens. Continue reading “What the Heart Wants”

Cut in Stone

Cut in StoneA friend of mine, now gone, once said: “The most beautiful things come from the most foul manure.” I hope he’s right. I hope to one day grow past what is ugly into not just beauty but peace.

As stated in my bio, I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as well as Multiple Personality Disorder. There are times when my mind races and is filled with flashbacks from times unsafe. I want to run from my own head. I panic. I call a friend and then I take to a few more coping skills such as painting.  Continue reading “Cut in Stone”

The Stream Carried Wonderment and Joy

The Stream Carried Wonderment and JoyThis painting is on of the very first collages I’ve created and thought good enough to post. The tall, elongated woman with her face divided by cream and blue stands with her eyes closed taking in everything. The secure and at peace woman stands with her feet in the stream and allows joy and wonderment into her life. There is no struggle, no working against the tide. She takes it all in and is entirely in the moment.

Her hair is adorned with flowers. Her dress is yellow at the top with two butterfly cut outs. The butterfly details also appear at the side of her skirt. The remaining cut outs are small flowers made from hand dyed coffee filter cut outs. Food coloring was used to stain the coffee filter cut outs. The painting has been sealed with a matte acrylic seal.  Continue reading “The Stream Carried Wonderment and Joy”

She is the Wind

Sheh is the Wind fmaShe is the Wind’ is primarily a finger painting. The blue hair and the hills as well as the larger parts of the tree were created with my fingers. Details were added with other tools.

The large figure is searching for a part of herself that is missing. She and the warrior that blows in her blue hair, into a white sky, will search and bring her home. Behind the white tree she sees her, weary, cold, wrapped in hills of colors under a burning sky. She has found her. Continue reading “She is the Wind”

Thunderstorm on paper

Thunderstorm d1In addition to the emotional process of creating this painting, there is a storm of art mediums. I do enjoy experimenting with different types of media.

Thunderstorm

In this 6 x 9 painting on paper, I’ve mixed acrylic with sawdust and sand. There is also ink and gel with a final matte acrylic seal. If you put all that together and mix it up on sketchbook paper, you get the aftermath of a thunderstorm.

In the painting you see a black face woman with lips and eyes like the sea. Her hair flows into the waves and becomes them. Her body floats until it too becomes part of the sea. You see the burning of the salt and the sun and her yearning for land. There is wave after wave after wave with the impending boom and resulting lightening. Or is has the lightening already shown itself in her eyes?

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Suppose I Could Fly Version Three

Suppose I Could Fly V3

It’s a brutal war to fight one’s mind and body, but that is what I do with chronic pain and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. My body fights to keep going. I feel as if I’m losing that battle. My mind fights itself. I sometimes wish to wave the white flag.

But what if, suppose I could overcome some small part of this turmoil? Suppose I could learn even more coping skills, even more ways to overcome and have a better quality of life? Suppose I could.

This painting is the third and final piece from a series called Suppose I Could Fly. She’s a young girl with dreadlocks looking straight forward. Her eyes are tired but she’s determined to pull through. She holds on to the flowers beside her with strength and a vow, she will continue on, she will let her inner self fly.

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Let Her Fly

Let Her Fly This piece was created in one night. I took the paper that already had sawdust prepped on it and I began adding shapes and colors.  My goal was to manage some heavy Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms I was having.

I thought to myself, I want to go to sleep, but I can’t. I just kept painting. Painting what? At first I didn’t know but as I focused I knew I wanted a woman in a thick field of flowers with her hair wild in the breeze. I kept painting. Her face was divided, half gold, half multi-colored. Her eyes look up or roll up to the sky. Black birds flutter in some areas but soar in others. Their wings are out strong and high, no hesitation, no fear of flying. There are 8 black birds in all. They’re in the sky, her hair, on her white chest and in the flowers below. Continue reading “Let Her Fly”

Emerson

EmersonArt Title: Emerson
Art by: Faith Magdalene Austin
Medium: Acrylic, ink, crackle medium, 24 x 17 inches on canvas sheet.
RESERVED/SOLD

Painting details: Emerson is a maze of faces, lines, vortexes, wheels and color. It is a painting showing chaos with resolution.
The blue figure is shown with eyes closed but the figure is mindful. The face is like water, a bird sits to the side of the head with an eye like the sun and rays that flash under the bird down on the head of the figure.

This black figure to the far right of the painting attracts my attention when I look at the painting because she seems so powerful yet peaceful. She has life water flowing from her finger tips. That water flows down the side of the blue figure. In my opinion this figure is actually the main image in the painting. She’s where it all starts.

The name Emerson means work, ruler, brave and powerful.

Purchase details: This painting is reserved for NR3. You may purchase this painting via PayPal by using the contact email address or by visiting my Etsy shop. Contact email address is on the sidebar as is my Etsy link.

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