Goddess Watercolor Print

I got through all of my Belly Dance paintings, what?!  This means I'll need to get working and create some more, though at the moment I have some other ideas growing in my mind... So many ideas so little time!  So now for a change of pass, some watercolor prints.

Above is an image that means quite a bit to me.  I created this image from of photo, which you can see below, of one of my long time friends and tattoo sister Briana.  I created this watercolor for her as a Christmas present, the wording below is in Gaelic and translates to "Froever Friends".  I chose Gaelic because we, including our third tattoo sister (in a future post to come), all have a bit-o-Irish running through our veins and share a love for everything Irish.  I always enjoy creating paintings of those that I care about, makes the process meaningful and fun and always hoping they'll enjoy it as much as I do.  Goddess Watercolor Print at Elven Grove: http://www.etsy.com/listing/65259871/goddess-watercolor-print

Above is the image I used as reference of my lovely friend Briana.  I have known Briana for, goodness, I want to say 15 years now... Could be a little more a little less.  No matter where we are in our lives I will always love her and call her friend.  Briana is also a very talented artist, I have seen her photography talents grow over time and she only keeps improving.  She's talented, driven and one awesome person, recipe for success!  If you'd like to check out some of Briana's photography take a look at her etsy shop The Dizzy Pixie: http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheDizzyPixie

A favorite etsy shop: Imagine Studio

Imagine Studio's creates art though photomontage, photo fusion and painted photographs.  I love this shop, the colors are vibrant and each piece brings out a different emotion.  The creator of this shop definitely doesn't hold back on letting the creativity flow.

The image above is titled "Fall's Awakening".  The reds, oranges and yellows not only remind me of the vibrant colors of the leaves in fall but also of the passions of romance.  At least that's where my imagination goes with this piece.  I wonder who she is looking at, perhaps she is on stage and her eyes fall on a tall man towards the back that she feels she knows from a distant past.

The image above titled "Metomorphous" gives a completely different emotion.  In this image I see escape, freedom.  It is a dark image so I get the feeling that she is in the moment of transition.  She was in a dark place, someplace she felt trapped but now she is moving on.  Escaping from this dark place to something better.  She explodes into flight to a place of light.  As you can see my imagination goes wild with the images of this shop.


If you'd like to see more from Imagine Studio's check it out here: www.imaginestudio.etsy.com

Britt

Lately I've been thinking I'd like to do bigger paintings like I used to do in school.  Perhaps they would be belly dance art, perhaps not.  The main problem with this idea is, room.  The bigger the art the more space it takes up and folks, I sadly do not have that much space.  It's so nice to have the smaller paintings tucked away in my portfolio, waiting to be bought so I can ship it off nicely wrapped in a bow... *sigh* dreamings.  Perhaps I can cover my walls with my large art or put them in a bag and hang them out my window.  Any ideas?

Okay, enough of my tangent thoughts, on to more belly dance art!  My newest piece "Britt" is as always, of a belly dancer I personally know and have taken inspiration from.  I love that I have such lovely muses that fill my life.

I chose yellow and red specifically to portray Britt's firery attitude on stage.  She has the ability to keep an audience completely captive and entertained simply by thrusting her hip to the audience while pointing them down as she holds an expression that says "yes, I'm pointing at you and you like it."  And it's true!  Britt has an amazingly witty and outgoing personality it's not surprising that she brings that wittiness to her belly dance performances which are wonderfully entertaining to see.

Above you'll see the lovely image of Britt I used as inspiration for my gouache painting.  Just look at that expression!  Pure confidence.

Check out "Britt" at Elven Grove: http://www.etsy.com/listing/72436209/britt-original-painting

Lydia

Next up in my Belly Dance series is "Lydia".  Lydia is actually the second original gouache painting I've done in this series, the first being "Veronica" which I gave as a birthday gift to the actual Veronica.  I liked it so much though I may paint another to put up in my shop.

Lydia is a dancer I've known for about 2 years now.   I met Lydia through Hipline starting out as fellow students.  Watching her in class it was obvious she had an amazing talent for dance.  She soon grew in the studio developing her arabic style of belly dance and began performing solo's at recitals, teaching workshops and eventually teaching classes.  Having a background in ballet, Lydia brings amazing grace and elegance to her belly dance performances as well as some kick ass back bends!

 Above is the actual image of Lydia I used for the painting above.  Check out "Lydia" in Elven Grove: http://www.etsy.com/listing/66514427/lydia

A favorite etsy shop: Elfin Dreams

This is a shop, at the moment, that exclusively sells fantasy original painting by Toni Cogdell.  The art in Elfin Dreams is mainly fairies or other nymph like creatures of nature.  Which, of course, is a big reason why this shop is one of my favorites.  Toni's work is very emotional, spiritual and whimsical.

Above is one of my favorite original watercolor and acrylical painting in Elfin Dreams.  This piece is titled Lady of Hawthorn.  As far back as I can remember my family has taken camping trips every summer.  With so many fond memories with my family out in the woods I have grown with a great appreciate for nature and a love of trees.  In this piece, an elven like creature seems to be a part of this tree, perhaps a tree spirit taking on a humanoid form.  I've hugged trees, but to be a part of the tree would be a completely different experience.  What's your interpretation of this lovely art piece?

If you'd like to see more from Elfin Dreams follow this link: www.elfindreams.etsy.com

Belly Dance with Ziva

Next in my Belly Dance series of original paintings I'm going to feature is "Ziva".  Ziva is an instructor at Hipline who is a phenomenally entertaining dancer!  Ziva's style is Middle Eastern as well as Egyptian and when she takes the stage she has a smile that lights up the room, you can't help but smile back.  She entertains with dramatic movement and subtle lifts of her eyebrow...  Well I can go on and on, Ziva is definitely a dancer I admire.

In this original gouache painting I tried to capture Ziva's life and smile that she amazingly expresses on stage.  In this moment Ziva is expressing her love, for the dance and also the music (arabic music is all about love, drama and passion).  She exstends her hand out to the audience, welcoming them in to her performance and her heart.

Here is the actual photo of Ziva taken by Christopher Husary that I used as reference for the painting above.  Ziva exudes a complete joy for her dance that come across not only in person but in photos and art as well.  Here is the link to "Ziva" at Elven Grove: http://www.etsy.com/listing/71543514/ziva-original-painting

If you'd like to know more about Ziva the dancer, check out her website: www.zivadancer.com

A favorite etsy shop: Mizzdraconia

As part of this blog I will feature some of favorite shops along the way.  The first will be Mizzdraconia, a shop that specializes in beautiful fantasy art work in the style of digital paintings and photo manipulations.  If you know my etsy shop, Elven Grove, it's pretty obvious why Mizzdraconia is one of my favorites, sharing a love for fantasy, nature and myth.

This piece is called "Daily Report" and is described as "a daily report being delivered to one of the dryads of the forest".  I love the the woods and all the mythical creatures that are described to live there, including dryads.  I enjoy the curiosity the piece brings to my imagination, I wonder what this butterfly is reporting. the dryad seems to have a somewhat of a serious look in her expression, is it bad news?  Is there a stranger wondering in her woods?  Perhaps another mythical creature encroaching on her land? One can only wonder.

I guess you could say I like my reds and my oranges because here is another, with a similar color scheme as above, I very much enjoy from this shop.  This print is called "Poison" and is described as "a deadly concubine plotting to poison her lord".  I feel this image displays the bad intentions of this woman well with the harsh lights and dark's along with the menacing look in her eye that reflects the color of the poisoned grapes.

If you'd like to check out more by Mizzdraconia check out her etsy shop here: www.mizzdraconia.etsy.com