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Sakura Pearl and the Nightmare Owls

Sakura Pearl and the Nightmare Owls is my first exploration into acrylic painting on a canvas.  The subject brings full-color life to a dream I only sketched in pencil.  I wrote more in a Facebook post:

Surprise!  I know, where have I been, right? I guess you might have to get used to that, me vanishing for weeks or months at a time… but it’s worth it!  This time I got lost faaaar on a walk in the back of my subconscious, or I guess I could say in a dream, but anyway, while I was there I met these fabulous little psychic creatures I’ve decided to call Nightmare Owls.  They aren’t nearly as malevolent as they sound, albeit it's a fair bit frightening to discover them watching you on a peaceful stroll through a sakura-pearl bubbletree forest...  facebook.com/GinaRLabrecque

First video! (view fullscreen:)

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Capricorn, the Sea Goat

The next in my Shibui-style zodiac calendar series Capricorn, the Sea Goat.  This is what the first layer is like in all of my Zodiac images.  A base layer of paint is bled, dripped and blown over the paper, and in this case sprinkled with salt too. I end up with a random base of marks that I will use as a map to color in and further define my preconceived idea with Prismacolor pencils.  Before I put the paint down I have a picture in my mind of what I want the image to contain, the character and environment, but the Shibui layer allows for really unique colors, marks, textures and shapes to come through that wouldn't be there if I'd drawn normally.  In all my other Zodiac pieces there have been some really amazing plants, trees and land features that I didn't put there intentionally but discovered after painting.  With Capricorn, my idea so far is a scene on the ocean with Capricorn swimming in a whirlpool, in the foreground and water crashing around, but who knows what else I will find as I go along.