Power Art

The title of this post came whilst looking at my completed artwork. I wanted something that was strong and resembled the artwork. I could have called the post 'believe in yourself', 'Stand up for what you believe in', 'love yourself' etc. However I didn't feel this described the art I was creating.

I won't get into the nitty gritty of it but unfortunately so far, this month has been difficult and it's not looking as though it'll get any easier. I found in a few situations I've had to stand my ground, speak up for myself and fight for what I believe is right.

It has been far from easy. I'm re-seeing parts of myself that I do not like. My strength is being challenged and it's exhausting. I'm left feeling very vulnerable and alone, even though this is not the case. I have support, not in all the places I need it to be, but it's there.

With this in mind, I wanted to create a piece of artwork that made me feel strong. I had to wait until I was in an 'up' mood to create it as I have another piece in process from a 'down' mood and it's basically rage on a page!

Art is therapy, whatever is being expressed. It's getting emotions out of yourself. It's not always for this, sometimes you simply want to create. Sometimes you're expressing. This is what happened with this piece.

It has been created to remind me that I am strong, I've got myself through situatiuons before and I will do it again. I like me as well! I don't want me to have high anxiety, be raging one minute and crying the next. That's not who I am. I want to put myself first when I'm like this, be kind and slow down.


 

I started the piece with some acrylic paints and a sponge. I messed with colour, adding red, white and blue to the page. I already had a vague idea of the look of the page in my head. A heart was added to the middle as it's the symbol of love and this page is all about loving myself and strength. Power Art!

I then dug out a few of my Pebeo  paints and worked over the background. I used a glossy, shimmery pink/red over the heart and I outlined it with a shimmer white. I decorated the background with a mixture of blues, purples and gold. I played with different mark making and accentuating the background.

 

Once dry, the Pebeo have a glassy, shiny look to them. It gave another dimension to the image. One thing I will say, although I love the final look with the Pebeo paints, they can be a challenge to work with! I recommend a small brush with corse hair and dense bristles that you don't really care about. When I was finished with a colour I would vigorously rub it on some kitchen roll until it had all been removed. I'd also recommend gloves as it's ridiculously sticky on your hands and takes a few washes to get off. In fact I think I had more success with a baby wipe and moisturiser. Also, I dont' think these are good for your sink, washing your brushes won't really do a great deal in removing the paint. The paint itself is quite gloopy and feels heavily oil based so preperation is key when working with it.  It also takes about twelve hours to dry!

 

I finished the heart with fine liner mark making around the edges. I used Chalkola pens for the white background quote lines and also to outline the heart. I applied a few coats so that it stood out. This was the focal point for my quote. The point of the piece is that it's to remind me that I am strong. So the words 'stand up for what you believe in' popped into my head. It's a message to say keep going, believe that it will work out in the end.

The sketchbook used for this piece can be found here (although not currently on sale)
The Dylusions paints (from the first part) can be found here

Thank you for stopping by,

Kelly xxx

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