Category: Originals

Ancient Pathway

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ancient pathwayI played. That’s how this painting came about, I played. This is a combination of handmade paper from India, a cut out, a sunflower and rubber stamps made by yours truly. I just started stamping and layering then came the elephant, the tall leaves and the sunflower.

I sat looking at the painting. I knew it needed a focal point then it hit me; light. I layered blue, white and yellow to create a beam of light that came from the sunflower to the elephant. It’s intended to appear that the elephant is drawn to it, walking steadily towards it. Continue reading “Ancient Pathway”

Present

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PresentPresent and accounted for. I am here.

Painting details: She is coming of age and realizing her value. She is made of every fine gem and precious metal hue. Her hair stands tall like that of a sunflower, her eyes look straight ahead into the now and the future.

Dripping from her ears are strikes of green meeting cobalt blue and royal purple. Her dress is orange and red with a design that puts an x right over her heart. Her very skin is shades of growing into who she is now: layers of beauty, vibrancy and strength. Around the young princess girl in her glory is a white fog or mist, or maybe just the clouds that honor her presence in a frame. Continue reading “Present”

Sweet Anna Bell – Ugly Girl

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Sweet Anna Bell - Ugly GirlShe’s been a long time coming. I don’t know why it took so long to finish her but, here she is. I present to you, ‘Sweet Anna Bell – Ugly Girl.’

Scribbled on the back of the paper she’s painted on dated June 10, 2013, I wrote:

She’s tall, skinny and lanky. She’s wearing second hand clothes and second hand shoes. She knows she’s ugly. She doesn’t need to be reminded, yet they do, as if somehow it’ll change things. Sweet Anna Bell – Ugly Girl.

Verbal abuse is what that is and what this sweet child holds the bruises of. But notice this, her eyes look up, not down in shame. If you look at them closer you’ll notice hope shining. She holds her head up. She hopes. The edges of her mouth turn up in a slight smile. She hopes. Continue reading “Sweet Anna Bell – Ugly Girl”

Fire White Butterfly

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White Fire Butterfly A fire white butterfly with wings wide open spans 4 inches on rich earth tone colors. Wine, turquoise, gold, burnt umber and a touch of burnt orange makes the butterfly really pop off the 5 x 7 canvas board. The wings have been tipped with powder blue and edged with gold.
Texture. Texture is key to this piece. I handmade the stamps that created the texture. By layering stamps with acrylic paint I was able to get a blend of colors that’s not too much and not too little.

With its matching mat it has an elegant appeal. Continue reading “Fire White Butterfly”

Let Her Fly

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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”

Sunflowers in the Sea

Posted on by Faith

Sunflowers in the Sea fma

A striking 9 x 6 sketchbook piece shows a little girl with green, yellow and orange washing over her. The blue sea flows right across her heart. Abstract fish swim around her head. In black ink I’ve drawn one large sunflower that disappears off the page, one that stands low beside her and one that crosses below her chin. The merging of hues comes to an abrupt stop leaving white space interrupted only by her small legs.

Art Title: Sunflowers in the Sea
Art by: Faith Magdalene Austin
Medium: Acrylic paint, ink on 6 x 9 sketchbook paper, raw art, unsealed

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It’s wroth the effort to bloom

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It's worth the effort to bloom

SOLD

This is not my usual type of art but, one must reach out from time to time right?  Here is how this painting grew. I took a paper bag from a grocery story that had a tree already on it. I painted the tree with circle branches and tiny little leaves on just a few branches. The sky is blue but not clear. Flowers stand tall, dragonflies spread their beauty and leave streams of who knows what. I haven’t decided what the streams are, but they flash behind them like light in a magical way. Continue reading “It’s wroth the effort to bloom”

Patience – in the works

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Patience in the works

A few strokes here, a few strokes there and she’ll be done. I’ve got so many projects going on at one time. I love it though. I like working on a bunch of pieces at one time because it lets me leave a piece and come back with clearer eyes.

I wasn’t sure what to do with Patience so I sat it aside and worked on a few other projects. I’ve also been doing something I call freestyle where I simply put paint on paper for no reason other than to release tension. Here are a few of the freestyle art pieces that I’ve created recently. Continue reading “Patience – in the works”

Stay – in the works

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Stay - work in progress

I’m finding the new painting more emotionally taxing than I expected it to be. I decided to go ahead and photograph the steps so I can see it morph into its final state. The painting is called Stay. Dr. D and I talked about what it means. We talked about how the older woman (mother) has her hands around the daughter’s shoulder and over her heart. The younger girl (daughter) has her hand on the mother’s arm and one arm facing down. The daughter seems to pull back a little bit but she still holds on. Stay means too many things to count. Stay and be safe. Stay and be my mother. Stay and be my friend, be what I need you to be, just stay. The painting is harder than I thought it would be to complete, but complete it I will. And I’ll photograph the creative journey. I like to see how the painting grows to completion.

fma