Category: Uncategorized

6:10:2025

I have a beautiful moment caught on film that inspired the abstract piece I started today. It’s based on a photo of my son when he was nine months old and my daughter when she was two. In my last post, I mentioned wanting to limit the number of colours I use, and I still plan to do that, but not for this piece. For this work, I’ve been guided by the vibrant colours that Norman Lewis used in his painting The Players.

I’m learning to be patient when blending the colours and to keep my fingers clean to avoid muddying the tones. The piece isn’t finished yet, but I can already see a difference in how I’ve applied the pastels from right to left. I took more time blending on the right side, and I really like how that area has turned out so far.

This is what I have done so far.

When I look at other artists’ work that features children or babies, I always take a moment to admire it. I think it takes real skill to capture the essence of a child, to make them look like a child rather than just a small adult. It’s a bit like trying to draw a horse that ends up looking more like a donkey, and vice versa.

I was a little worried when I started this piece, as the only part I was keeping true were their silhouettes, and I thought it might end up looking like two lovers. I’m really happy with how my son on the right turned out, as I feel I managed to capture the essence of a baby. My daughter on the left, however, has the gentle presence of a mother with her child.

I wanted to play around with oil pastels again, as it’s a medium I’ve always enjoyed using. I think I like it because I can use my fingers to move and blend the colours together. It’s been a while since I last painted because I usually go straight into 3D making, so I wanted to push myself to explore and experiment more with 2D processes.

In the three different abstract drawings and paintings, I focused on exploring colour and seeing which tones worked well together. In the drawing on the right, I used white acrylic to highlight the triangular shapes, adding definition without overpowering the piece. I wanted the colours to flow smoothly from one to another, but still keep some contrast so the transitions weren’t too gradual. My main aim was to reconnect with how oil pastel feels to use and how the colours naturally blend together.

For my next drawings or paintings, I plan to limit myself to three or four colours, as I found that my first abstract acrylic painting became quite busy with both the colour and the mark-making. Looking at the style I’ve been painting in, it reminds me of the Abstract Expressionism period in the early to mid-20th century. I feel especially drawn to Norman Lewis, as the way he uses colour and movement in his work reminds me of my own approach.

This is one of the works of Norman Lewis

30.9.25

I want to give oil pastels a go, so I created a drawing from memory of my daughter in her bouncer. I used to have the lights low in the house whilst Eva remained fixated on her light-up orange and green flower that played Clair de Lune. Her eyes were so big and they used to sparkle in the light. My drawing has a cartoonish element to it, which was not intentional.

25.09.25

Today I did some abstract painting while listening to Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy. This piece of music is special to me because it played on my daughter’s hanging mobile when she was a baby. She is nine now, but I hadn’t really come across this music much until the last couple of years, when I started hearing it often on TV.

Listening to it feels strange because so many memories come back. I was a first-time mum then, but also in a lot of pain and in a wheelchair from pregnancy-related issues. The music brings an overflow of emotions – anxiety, fear, happiness, excitement, loneliness, feeling overwhelmed, and the memory of how tiny Eva was with her big brown eyes. When I hear it now, I feel my eyes begin to well up.

I don’t usually paint in an abstract way because I tend to be a perfectionist. I admire artists who work loosely, with simple and confident brushstrokes that gesture the objects they are painting. My tutor encouraged me to give it a go, and I actually enjoyed it. At first, I felt daunted by the big blank canvas, and I kept thinking too much about where to place each mark. But I tried to let go, painting more freely while listening to the music on repeat. I used found objects like torn cardboard, a natural sponge, and my fingers for mark-making. Next, I’d like to experiment with a spatula to create some diagonal lines. Right now, the painting feels a bit busy, but that is part of the process of learning.

I’d like to carry on exploring this way of painting, even though I don’t yet know where it will take me.

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