A sketch of my Grandma (when she was young, sitting on the beach) I gave my mom for her birthday yesterday. Gram passed away last year, day after my mom’s birthday.
When I sketch figurative nude I don’t look at it as a naked body. I see strength and I see weakness . I’ve been through quite the adjustment trying to get back to normal after my hysterectomy. I respect my body so much more. Love yourself not for what you see, but what resides in you. #figuredrawing #abstractfigurative #woman #hysterectomyrecovery #strongwomen #itsjustabody #selfcare #art #sketch #charcoal #artist #abstractart #artgallery #selflove #interiordesign #decor #female
Varnishing one of my girls
Varnish. Then off to her new home. She’s one of my favorites
Excerpt from my book “WRECKED”
To not have your suffering recognized is a form of violent neglect. Until recently I couldn’t handle silence. I had to have some sort of white noise. To drown out those thoughts that squiggle to the surface.
But now I crave silence. The neglected memories no longer lay dormant in the back cages of my mind. I’ve freed them. But they still hang around. Laying their permeable surfaces open to new memories. In a interfusion of past and present. Creating something new in me. Like the blend of my art and my writing. Writing preexisted my art, but again I neglected it for a solid twenty years. Like my hometown, I loved it-but I left it. My friends, I loved them-but I left them. My writing-I loved them, but I left them. My house, the land-I loved it but I left it. Self protection I suppose. To leave those things, and people that were bound not by their will to my virulent past; was not only self-protection but temporary salvation.
My painting of the woman floating in the water brings its exquisite silence almost tangible upon viewing. Part of me floats in the water with her. Hauntingly still. Waiting.
After the epic battle of my past and my present, the old me and the new have found a way to coexist. I had no idea that there was room. If there’s room, then there’s room for me to be a mother, wife, writer, artist, sister and often daughter.
All these years the guilt I carried like an albatross carries little footing. It barely holds on as I kick it off my foot every morning. “WRECKED”©️
Started work on the big 4 ft horse head. Feels really good to work, it’s always hard during summer.
Finalized #4 of WRECKED and using the same heated transparent tones added into the big figurative “Rebirth”. The sun WAS about then disappeared again 😫
Adding in the heat on “Rebirth”, 5ft big one
Whited out and repositioned her arms/hands. They’re hard to see here but the hands will have great definition. Rework of her stature 5ft almost to size #rework
Finally figured out her final highlight touches. It can make all the difference. 40x30
I’m finally done after working little bits for over a year 3ftx3ft. Added in somegorgeous transparent bright magenta with impasto white touches with the knife. She’s ready for exhibition and/or sale
Final touching 3 of the •WRECKED• series. About to start submitting them. If your curious what my biographical series is about dm me. #memoir #biography #wrecked #forestfire
Back topainting the •WRECKED• series. I wanted to give this one a sort of memory feel.Since it is between young me and Sahara (the horse we were supposed to get when I was little. Wrecked is my memoir (I’ve been writing my story along with each piece) it’s a story of renewal, refined by fire literally and spiritually. The fire that took my hometown forced me to deal with stuff I pushed away for 20 some years. I’m a very private person so opening up is incredibly difficult. I just hope I can help someone. It also showed me my love for my hometown. God put meand my family there for a reason. The trees, the mountains, the people got us through a hard time. I think for me saying goodbye to the trees I loved so much was worse then the house. I still pause when I hear the wind through the tall trees in Long Beach. #wrecked
Waiting for one of my daughters to be done with testing finished up another ballerina sketch. White charcoal on tonal grey paper is my current obsession. So smooth on application #ballerina #ballet #dancer #toeshoes #pointeshoes #art #figuredrawing #figurativeart #sketch #drawing #illustration #interiordesign #art #artcollector #losangeles #longbeach #decor #abstractart #belgium #madrid #gallery
Busy week being mom so just a quick sketch today
Two weeks of being sick with a sinus infection has put me down, so I haven’t painted. Just sketch #sketch #portrait #drawing #faces #figurativeart #art #artofinstagram #figurativeart #modernart #artstudio #gallery #longbeach #losangeles #london
#3 of •WRECKED• final tweaking done. Go to my IG for more updates on new work Kellie Thomas-Walker
Geisha #3 in the morning light. She’ll always be one of my favorites. Available for exhibition/purchase
Chartreuse highlights, magenta and bright pink highs/lows on the 60x48 #5 of •WRECKED• #art #koifish #koi #koifishart #painting #brushwork #modernart #france #contemporaryart #gallery #artstudio #losangeles #belgium #madrid #newyork #london #interiordesign #decor #artcollector
Some paintings take longer than others and I’m helping two of my girls with research papers 😳mom/artist, artist/mom
Sketching in Sahara with paint/charcoal. When I was little my parents were all set to buy a retired Race Horse named Sahara Shizad. We had a coral for her. She wasn’t white but I’m going to paint her white. They didn’t end up buying her. I was so sad. I always wondered where she went, if she was still alive. I would have taken such good care of her. The corralmay be burned downthis past summer. But I can sure paint my memories •WRECKED• series
