Becoming Emmy

Let me introduce you to my niece, Emily

This is my favorite photo of her and the art journal page that I did several years ago. As you can see, Emily is a free spirit, and, as I remember, always liked to dress VERY creatively

When I started this painting, I began, as I always do , with layers. I started  tearing up copies of old art journal pages and slapping them on my canvas with Modge Podge.




Then, I sketched in her face and started adding broad strokes of color,  using both  palette knives and brushes.



I added some texture with more bits of torn paper, and, if you'll  enlarge the first picture, you can see the flowers peeking out from under the paint below her right eye and the text showing under her red collar. 

You can see that Emily grew up a little bit during the process, just like she did in real life. This painting had a mind of its own. and it didn't do exactly what I expected it to. Somehow Emmy's beautiful brown eyes became green, and her feather boa turned into a collar. Checks became stripes and pink deeped into a more vibrant red.  The finished product  was even stronger and more  unique than my original vision. This painting was every bit as unpredictable and determined as its inspiration, but I enjoyed every minute of its evolution  In art,  just as in life, Emmy's spirit  and inner beauty were strong enough to shine through.

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