I Never Meant to Be a Figurative Painter
We never know how experiences along our journey will influence us. This was true for me about my figurative art. I never aspired to or even knew I was interested in the figure. Let me share with you how it came about.
I was at an outdoor market — Arts on the Avenue in Ladysmith in 2013. I like to paint or at least try to when I am at a market, it helps to get people to engage with you. I started painting by activating my canvas and creating chaos as is my normal way of starting. It wasn’t long before the figures started showing up on the canvas. This was the beginning of my journey painting figures. Over time I have developed several paintings in a more whimsical style always painting from imagination. I call them found figures!
Lately I have become interested in developing the figure further and one of my goals for 2020 is to focus on this. Rather than just using my imagination I will work from some reference photos. Stay tuned! I love the lines of figures created with various poses. Here is my first ever figure painting from 2013 and the process I used to create it.
Out and About - My first figurative painting!
The Process
If you are interested in learning how to paint the figure in a whimsical way I have some workshops coming up in February in my studio in Parksville, BC. You can find out more here.
Join other like minded creatives in my Facebook Community.