Over a year ago, a dream came to me.
A tale, a story, an art piece.
Slowly it unraveled.
A long trunk, a big heart, led the way.
Stars, music and blue sky drips turned up for the painting party.
Along with golden honey.
My early art days of abstraction, painted emotions as I call them, intertwined with today's sketching of details and characters met hand in hand.
The first character turned up over a year ago.
A creature so dear to my heart.
I sketched it at 4 a.m.
Right onto my canvas with dripping teal blue skies, paper stars made of antique french letters that I dared to cut up.
Honey dripped like gold.
My heart, full of those winged little creatures that make the stuff.
And…
Then bursting forth, I met the first part of this huge painting.
There she was.
Strong and thoughtful.
Wise and knowing.
A symbol for caring and kindness and hope in my dream.
Free handed in pencil, onto canvas.
And so, I had a plan for this large complex piece.
A painting, in 5 acts, I thought.
Each act offered as a print.
Until finally the whole piece comes to light.
A year's work (or longer), very close to being completed.
At which point the original will be available as well.
I already know most of the story.
More than half of it is in painting process right now, close to completion.
The beauty and hope and dream quality that lives in it has come forth.
A mixture of abstractions and details.
Much like our dream thoughts.
So, to begin the unraveling journey..
Today I am sharing…
The central part of the painting.
The first print of this 5 act piece…
Now available in my shop.
I can't wait to finish up and be able to share the next parts of this puzzle art piece.
🙂
See you soooon!
ps:
I don't know about you, but I am an elephant lover of the deepest variety.
I have carried around a little elephant with me for a decade and a half.
I got it from a little old man, sitting in a rocking chair outside his old barn porch in Northern Arizona.
I was on a road trip.
Going anywhere and nowhere.
Here and there.
Meandering.
Enjoying.
Down a winding street in a thick green forest.
There he was.
Rocking away.
He was selling all of his earthly possessions.
A little wooden sign sat by a rickety wood picket fence, with wild roses rambling along.
I swooned when I saw a tiny elephant.
He said, it was my wife's favorite.
She had passed a few years back.
So I took her elephant with me, and hold it near and dear to this day.
Elephant love 🖤
There’s nothing like an elephant with flowers! Elephants are sweet creatures!
It will be fun to watch the progress!
I never got a chance to comment on your last post. You happened to mention my favorite, champagne!
I don’t drink, except for an occasional glass of champagne. I don’t care for the dry, expensive ones myself. Yuck!
There’s something about the bubbles that I just love!!! I don’t think I’ve had strawberries in it but I have put cherries in the glass.
P.S. I just received my order from your sister & I love it all!
I adore elephants! Maybe Dumbo was the inspiration for so many of us to love elephants. This is funny, as I was thinking about elephants today, before I even read your post! And what I was thinking, at the time, was, elephants have got to be the most unusual creatures in the animal kingdom with their long trunks, which sets them apart from so many other animals, and their wrinkled hide, and full, floppy, wide ears, and long skinny tail, and their toes! Their toes are incredible, almost like troll’s teeth in composition.
I adore your painting and can’t wait to see the rest of the entire piece! What a lovely art canvas to have been creating for over a year with all of your favorite colors! Just fantastic! And I LUVVVV anything CIRCUS!!!
XO
Miss Teresa
Oh! Oh! And…the Postal System just came out with Barnum and Bailey Circus Forever stamps yesterday! I must get some! Yes! Yes!
Oh I love her! She has such kind eyes, as elephants do.
Your elephant creation is so sweet! And your elephant find is adorable! It is nice to know you are cherishing and caring for something that was so loved by it’s previous owner!
I like to go to africam.com from time to time to see what is going on around the various watering holes and get especially excited when I find elephants, giraffes, zebras or the occasional lion stroll by. They even have a button to click to take a picture of any special scenes you really enjoy so you can have a little souvenir of your “visit”! 🙂
Oh, how wondrous!…. …You have a way with color.. In just the right places.
It’s beautiful, Vanessa! I love the colors. Your little elephant looks like it was the inspiration for this work.
How enchanting. And I suspect the elephant you painted was filled with a little bit of love from your elephant, so loved by someone before you who was clearly so loved by her husband. The story makes your painting all the more sweet.
Magical!
Clink clink!!! 😉 Oh, I am thrilled you loved your order from my sis, hooooray!!
I agree, elephants are just so amazing and unusual too. Have you seen or read Water for Elephants? They are such feeling creature too, lovelies! xoxo
Oooo, must get on those stamps too!!
Awe, thanks Alia!!
Miss Linda, so do you!! 😉
Youa re right!! 🙂 I didn’t realize it until I was writing the post yesterday, must have truly been a subconscious thing for sure <3
I sooo love that lil’ elephant, I can’t even tell you. I love things that someone once loved. It feels so special to keep the love going 🙂
Vanessa:
I am so excited to see this whole finished project! I can already see it will be spectacular!
I adore elephants. Wouldn’t it be wild if you could have a miniature elephant to live with the fur babies? Imagine an elephant the same size as Matty!
xoxo
Kim
Gerushia’s New World
hey sis… I really love this elephant. He looks happy and fun.
I never knew that you got that elephant from some darling old man. I have seen it in with your things… never knew where it came from, though… sweet!
okay, that would just be BEYOND AWESOMENESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That’s why I am some crazed panicked woman over my Elie, like when I was moving and couldn’t find him 🙂
What sweet elephants, the one of your dreams and the elderly man’s treasure.
I’m lucky to make it 6.3 seconds! The subs look fantastic. I needed a new meatball recipe, I can’t wait to try it!
That’s just incredibly sweet and I’m sure his departed wife was looking down and smiling that you adopted her treasured elephant.
I have always had a love for the elephants! They are such caring creatures and they care for each of there own even unto death. I have learned so much watching the documentaries about them. I so enjoy watching them play in water! The girls and I did watch Water for Elephants it was intense!
Your lil ele. inspired such a grand ele. How they both set a mood of happiness and are an honor to some special memories. I love the eyes Vanessa. Look forward to the next piece of your art puzzle. 😉
Awww…how sweet! I heard a story about elephants just this morning on NPR.
Really beautiful! Truly lovely!
Beautiful. I love the little figurine. I am looking forward to seeing the other acts.
When my sister had her first child many years ago I made a quilt for her that had an elephant on it 🙂
I want to see ‘Water for Elephants’ as I had not read or seen it yet. I heard it was a really good story.
très enchanté, cherie!
What a wonderful story! =D I love art with long stories and dreams behind them… ^_^
And I love that elephant! She’s beautiful. I can’t wait to see all the acts together… what a story they’ll tell!
XOXO
What a magical plan for this painting! The first Act does not disappoint, it is beautiful. Elephants are magnificent creatures. The are so beautiful, and symbolic; and as animals themselves they are wonderfully kind and serene creatures.