Day 57: Skyline Series: Chicago

This painting is a little personal.

Ok – they all are in a way – but this is the view from my kitchen/dining room window. The bright lights of the city of Chicago are lovely in the darkness. They don’t replace the stars, but for now they eclipse them.

Chicago is busy. It’s colourful. It’s friendly and interesting and there are a lot of perks to living in a place where you can look down on birds flying.

I love that I can see Lake Michigan from my windows as well as Chicago’s modern and not so modern marvels.  I am amazed at the amount of masonry and ornate carving the old buildings have. And I’m fascinated by the way that architects use colour and shape to intentionally build a skyline – something that Chicagoans are truly proud of.

This painting was drawn by day – but unlike any of the other paintings, it was completed at night – almost in the dark! It was the only way that I could see the colour in the night skyline. If the lights were on in the house, they washed out everything but the specs of light in the other building’s windows.

Bring a little bit of Chicago to your interior skyline. Drop by my etsy shop today.

Day 56: Skyline Series – Cancun

Cancun – but from the air. Since I’m pushing myself with these buildings, and strange structures, why not push farther and paint an aerial view?

I love this painting. Maybe it is because I’ve been looking at other art that abstracts photos taken from planes.  But I think  it is also because these tropical colours start the salsa style music playing in my head.

Isn’t the best part of a flight the part where you look down and see your destination? No one is ever grumpy on a flight that is taking them away to vacation. It’s a plus when you look down to see a trail of colourful, jeweled lights awaiting you. Which resort is yours? Can you see it from the plane? And you look down and you know all the hours, all the days where you can escape your office and forget about laundry and enjoy doing whatever it is you want to do…

That’s what I think of when I see this painting.

To bring a little vacation dreaming into your space, visit my Etsy shop

Day 55: Skyline Series: Montreal

Oh I love Montreal!! It is full of romance and beauty. It is modern and gothic. It was a fortified city – with walls to protect it’s people. And the castle-like buildings, including Notre Dame (which is glorious) don’t hurt either!

Montreal is merry. At least it is in my mind. It is vibrant. It is full of world class hotels, and beautiful cobbled streets; little bakeries and fondue restaurants. Perhaps the best take out lunch is made there. The line wraps around the block for a certain Montreal sandwich. Time can seem to go a bit slower. After all – you can’t get fondue to go. There is joy in good food and good company, surrounded by beautiful things. The French Canadians go out of their way to make it beautiful. (They even cover up scaffolding on prominent buildings undergoing maintenance or repairs with printed screens that show the building in all it’s glory as a giant trompe l’oeil!) I have heard it said that 20 years ago, some guy drove his car through the front doors of the new “modern” city hall because it was ugly. Some people in the city still claim this modern building is an eyesore.

Easy going people, who have an eye for beauty -my kind of place. I loved every moment I was there – How could the painting be any less joyous?

Buy this painting at Laura Tetrault’s Etsy Shop.

Day 54: Toronto

This is the Canadian city skyline that I am most familiar with. I’ve seen it so many times, in person and on postcards etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But oddly enough, even though it is full of amazing things. I feel like I don’t know it at all. Shopping trip to TO? I’m in.  What do I know about the heart of the city? Union Station. The Fairmount Hotel with friends. Where the Eaton’s Centre is.  But I’ve never toured the city, never visited the CN Tower. Never explored the subway or explored the city for what it is.  I’d love to wander the river front, go to Toronto Island, peek at art in the distillery district.

Blue is a colour for mystery I think. It is a colour that represents calmness. That’s what I think of when I think of a city at night.

For more info on this painting, pay a visit to London . Art . Girl on Etsy.

Day 53:Skyline Series – Violet Vancouver

Vancouver – city of drama, shrouded in mountains. A mix of urban and granola. I always think of Stanley Park and tandem biking along the paths. What an amazing experience!

It is a mix of old and new – natural and architectural. What better  colour for such a creative city than lavenders, violets and purples.

My only regret about visiting this city was that I didn’t get to visit the public library. Not only do I love books, but the library building looked amazing!

When I was working on this, I created this painting a little differently. This is mostly watercolour – watercolour pencil actually. Some I wet to create the solid colour, other parts I left dry to keep that coloured pencil look. Once I was happy with the colour I pulled out my artist pens and added the detail and energy lines.

Buy this painting here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/98894620/violet-vancouver-watercolor-original-art

Day 52: Detroit

So – about yesterday. That part where I said “I’m not a cityscape painter” – well today might prove that – or might not.

Detroit is iconic. I went to school across the river from it – I saw this view countless times. Ambassador Bridge – all lit up at night – stories about engineers attempting to black out certain letters. Whether they actually did I don’t remember.

Detroit was where things happened. It was where we were told to lock our car doors when we crossed the border. It was where all sorts of things could be procured. Maybe all the mixed emotions short circuited me.

Day 51:Skylines – Seattle

I am not a skyline painter. Somehow building shapes confound me where human shapes make sense.

I love the old architecture, and I’m amazed by what people do with the new, but how do I make sense of all the angles and lines. What a challenge!

So, why do cityscapes?

Because it was on my “honey do” list. Since I was taking suggestions from “strangers on Facebook”, my darling husband naturally wondered when he might get his turn to make a suggestion.

As he often does – he surprised me. He asked me to paint the skylines of the places we’ve visited together. So here we are  - starting with one of my most favourite places. Seattle – the Emerald City. Artsy. Techie. Retro. A place of Lindy Hop and West Coast Swing. Fields of tulips. Flowers in February. A place where cute little doggie dishes are standard issue for outdoor shops. Where everything is green.

Enjoy

Buy this painting here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/98893063/pike-place-market-seattle-skyline-mixed

Day 50: The White Butterfly

Green is not my favourite colour to work with – I find it difficult, but I like the way this painting turned out with its’ different shades of greens and golden yellows. I think it straddles the line between watercolour and acrylic – and I must admit it was fun.

I hope you enjoy it.

For more info and pricing on this painting hop on over to my etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/listing/98887634/the-white-butterfly-original-painting-on

Day 49: Lovely in Dark Places

Wow – since this project started I have found myself wonderfully inundated with work, custom orders and paintings going out the door.

That has nothing to do with the quiet, dark, fairy tale that is happening here. Midnight blossoms, fairies and Moon Moths populate this piece.

This is acrylic paint and artist marker and watercolor pencil and and and  :) Mixed media is great  - whatever is within reach is fair game! I think it is perfect for this process, and this series of Dreamscapes. Since when do dreams play logically?

Curious about the curious symbols that show up in these dream like paintings? Me too! So I looked it up.

To dream about a butterfly :

Butterflies signify creativity, romance, joy and spirituality. You may be experiencing a transformation into a new way of thinking.

To dream about a flower:

Flowers may signify kindness, compassion, gentleness, pleasure, beauty, and gain. It is also symbolic of perfection and spirituality. Your dream may be an expression of love, joy and happiness. Alternatively, flowers in dream, especially if they are blooming represent your hidden potential and latent talents.

To dream about a fairy:

To see a fairy in your dream indicates that you are in search of some help or advice for a problem or decision, but may not want to directly admit you need help.

Just some thoughts to toy with

What is the story you see?

Bring it home with you here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/98414447/lovely-in-dark-places-original-painting

Day 48: Dreamscapes Series: Cinderella’s Journey

Today I’m starting with watercolour paper that I splotched and spattered and stretched yesterday. I do love this pink. I love the warmth and I really love the way the paint ran in the lower right corner.

This piece is as big as the largest piece I’ve done in this 100 paintings project – 12 x 16 inches.

I found the flower shapes, then an arrow, then some shapes that reminded me of chandeliers and then I found the woman, and I knew that she had a story. So I added the “bricks” in the path that leads up to the right.

It was fun to follow one mark to the next in this painting. It was also nice to be back with colours that are my friends – so to speak. Colours I understand and know well, not just from a theory perspective, but also from having used them. Part of me can breathe again!

This painting sold within hours of posting it to etsy but there are prints, and canvas wrap prints available