This is the first in the series to showcase the doll side of the concept. It measures 34" x 46."
Next, I add some values and the background pattern.
Here I added a yellow/green glaze to spice things up.
The vessel was originally sitting on a table with squares that would become postage stamps underneath as a symbol of disconnected communication, and thought it would represent the loneliness I wanted to capture in this piece.
All of the doll paintings will have an insect companion. Personally, I find insects to be fascinating creatures and I have used their images in numerous paintings.
I wanted the outside to be very lush and garden-like to contrast the interior’s desert-like climate.
I used the photo reference only as a starting point for the pattern.
I have added another yellow glaze on the background. The colors had been getting a bit garish, and I wanted to unify them a little more. I also changed my mind on the table/stamp concept and went with a water garden instead.
I started playing with pattern on the glass, which was tricky, but something I want to continue to play with in other pieces.
So, at this point I had called the piece done…but the size seemed to call for something more grand and less static/repetitive.
The floating pods at the bottom seemed odd to me. Were they attached to the bottom of the pond or had they fallen from a tree?
So I risked a lot by bringing the plants in the foreground. If they failed, I would have a mess and possibly a ruined painting on my hands.
My thought was to encase them in a yellow blossom. On the upper right you can see the start of the “Boo-Boo Berries” which became the solution to the pod problem or the cover-up for my “boo-boo.”
Detail of his face.
Detail of his friend.
Detail of the berries.
The finished painting.