VIEW IN MY ROOM
United States
Painting, Watercolor on Paper
Size: 32 W x 42 H x 0.1 D in
This small, six inch high cactus was blooming with these little red dots, which upon close inspection turned out to be just as gorgeous as their larger counterparts but easily passed over because of their tiny character. This inspired me to create a very large drawing of them, revealing all of their details with the aid of a magnifying glass. As captivated as I was by the gorgeous deep pink blooms, I was spellbound by the spiralling growth pattern of the spiny nubs, fascinated by their varying tones, cool blue hued greens and subtle yellow greens backing the magenta pop of the blooms with their little golden centers. The drawing took some time to work out, with the pattern to solve and the delicate floral detail. Once the initial sketch was complete I transferred it to a larger piece of watercolor paper, stretched on a board and began the final painting, shown here. Due to the extended length of time I spent with this piece I began to imagine it in other situations, as I was looking at it I thought of the galaxy, the wee prickly leaves reminded me of spaceships, and so the soft watercolor wash on the lower half was my nod to them shuffling off into space. The original is sold. Prints are available.
Original Created:2014
Subjects:Nature
Materials:Paper
Styles:Fine ArtIllustrationRealism
Mediums:Watercolor
Painting:Watercolor on Paper
Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork
Size:32 W x 42 H x 0.1 D in
Frame:Not Framed
Ready to Hang:No
Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.
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United States
I was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, into a family of artists. My parents and brother moved to Canada when I was six and after a few years in Vancouver, Kamloops and Seattle my mother and I settled in Southern California where I attended high school and college. I received my BA in Drawing and Painting (1965) and my MA in Illustration (1972) from California State University Long Beach. Watercolor and/or silk painting (batik) are my favorite mediums. My paternal grandfather, Rasmus Christiansen (the spelling is correct, my father changed the i to a j) was a well known painter and illustrator in Denmark whose biography was recently published in a book, Rasmus Christiansen: Tegner go Maler (1863 -1940), En sommergest i Hjarbæk by Ole Utoft. Growing up I was surrounded by his paintings, drawings and illustrations. I was particularly impressed by an ink drawing of an oak tree, which I spent many hours copying, admiring his attention to detail and trying to learn his ink techniques. My father, Jørgen, was trained as a silversmith. Sadly, he lost an eye from injuries he sustained when the airplane he was flying solo to qualify as a pilot plunged into Hjarbæk Fjord, ending his silversmithing days and his dream of becoming a pilot. I was quite fascinated by his glass eye. The imagery I select is inspired by my surroundings, whether landscape, garden, or my cats. It's about preserving a perfect moment in time to be enjoyed at leisure. I can't imagine living without art. My favorite media for creating my paintings are watercolor and batik. I trust watercolor is a familiar medium, but will explain batik, since it is not as familiar. The art of batik, a process for using multiple layers of melted wax for creating images on fabric can be traced back to prehistoric times. Wax or other types of resists are applied to cloth to repel dye, the unwaxed areas absorbing dyes by immersion in dye baths. The technique has been practiced through time and throughout the world, each country developing unique tools and techniques. In the process I use to create my batiks the image develops gradually by alternating the wax and dye process until it is complete and the whole fabric is covered with wax which is removed by ironing fabric between sheets of tissue or newspaper (or it can be dry cleaned) and dyes are set by steaming. I paint or spray concentrated dyes onto stretched silk using techniques similar to my watercolors.
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