Queynte 15

Phew, at last... the unveiling of the next Fantasy Fanny! This is .......Number 15.

I still find them fascinating, as I never actually know what they're going to look like until I finish them. I'll paint it in pieces, a scarlet here, a magenta there, orange, lime green and lemon yellow, building it up like a jigsaw. Then when I'm near the end I'll stand back from it and judge whether a colour should be darkened, or if black would enhance various areas. Then, when I'm happy with the colours, I add the white, and somehow that makes it gleam more. The white adds high-lights and interest to the bright colours. And I think the white adds more than that to the painting, as the white is where the light catches it, where it glistens...............

Feeling colours

Since I've stated that the colour I feel within me as a person is gold, I've been asking other people this week what colour they "feel" and had some interesting responses. Some people can answer this question within a minute, with certainty and a positive forthright answer. But others I've asked just look at me blankly and reply that they don't know what on earth I'm talking about and couldn't possibly give me any sort of answer to this question. Why is that I wonder? I know as an artist I understand and think colours more than most people do, so is that the reason? Or do our brains just relate to some concepts easier than others? When I asked some artist friends yesterday what colours they "feel" only one couldn't reply, but I had the responses of "light red" from a passionate and happy extrovert guy, "orange" from an up-beat and caring woman, and "red at the moment but blue normally" from a currently stressed and hard-working female! I shall continue to survey people and am intrigued at the replies I'm getting so far.....


I've recently finished a painting that I'm quite pleased with as a concept. Its of a naked big breasted fantasy woman, with multi-limbs in various positions, portraying her as multi-tasking, and able to juggle many things on different levels, simultaneously. It's brightly painted in yellows and golds and deep prussian blues, using the pour-on technique that I love so much as the background, to give fluidity to the image and more of a fantasy feel to it. I've called it "Everywoman" and I think many women will relate to it, as they juggle jobs, relationships, family, and other interests.

Painting an essence

As an artist, I'm always trying to capture the essence of the subject rather than just the superficial image infront of me, so it was interesting yesterday to meet a spirit artist and clairvoyant, who talked about the importance of colour in painting the soul. She sees people's auras and paints those colours in her paintings, as well as trying to capture the spirit of the person within the facade of the face. The face is the life we've lived, as well as what we've inherited genetically, but within that facade is the life we want to live, the fantasies within us, the hopes and dreams, desires and emotions that drive us. How to paint that? How to look beyond the surface? To paint the spirit within us?

I know that I'm motivated by particular colours, and some colours are a turn off for me. I can never be motivated by dull "brown" as a colour in clothing or paint (whether its in a painting, or on a wall) but I love shiny "brown" in the hair of a stunning brunette, and as the colour of highly polished antique wooden furniture. I adore turquoise as a colour and am attracted to it as a moth to a flame, its a clear, bright, wholesome colour for me, and I adore it! So when I next paint a portrait, I'll work on gut reaction to colour for that person, whether they are a moodily intense dark chocolately colour or a lively light and airy shade of pink, a vibrant passionate crimson, or a calm and serene mint green.

And I'll spend the next week looking at people I meet and trying to just concentrate on one colour that eminates out of them, to me. Mmmm..... that's going to be interesting, I don't think I'd equate too much to lavender, lemon, beige and brown people, I hope I meet some magenta, scarlet, antique gold and midnight blue people......