I honestly cannot believe there are four more days left of 2018 – this year felt REALLY fast to me.
If I had to sum up my art during this time I’d call it A Year of Commissions – well, half a year anyway! I’ve had the opportunity to work with some great new clients and create a lot of new work that I’m really proud of.
I worked on a really BIG project in 2018 – like 48×36 to 60×72 inches big – and the crazy part was that I did it in my home studio, aka my family’s main living space.
It was painful but necessary, since I’ve put off my search for studio space until we’ve decided where we’re going to move. More on that another day…still in the Seattle area though…because I want to be near my new art gallery too(!!!)…more on that another day too! Ha!
Okay, back to this story.
This year I collaborated with Neha Nariya, who hired me to create eight bold, vibrant abstract cityscape paintings for her new boutique hotel. Civic Hotel in Seattle will be open soon and I can’t wait to see and share the paintings in their space!
Extra: I love the cool neon sign for the hotel.
Like I mentioned this project has been huge for me in so many ways – a huge blessing (being hired to do this work that will be seen by many Seattle visitors), a huge challenge (the paintings range in size from 48×36 inches to 60×72 inches and I did them all in the small living space I share with my family), a huge learning experience (this was my first time to paint at this large of a scale), and a huge relief to get them out the door (see studio = small living space shared with family).
Neha and I first began discussing this bright bold project for her boutique hotel renovation earlier this year and I began working on sketches and samples in July. These paintings will be displayed in the hallways of the two floors of guest rooms – four on each floor.
Here’s a peek at a preliminary sketch, where we nailed down color palette and mark making techniques.
And here are some of the images as the project progressed.
After the first painting we decided to go for a little more “edge” as we moved forward, so I varied my approach to help keep things interesting! Some of the abstract cityscapes were “zoomed in” compositions, while others had more of a landscape/seascape “city on the sea” feel.
I approached them differently in terms of technique too.
In the first one I did what I usually do when I work – complete spontaneity. I play with the shapes, colors, composition as I go. I’m more loose with the structures and lines.
In some I sketched my composition on the canvas in pencil with a ruler to keep sharp(er) edges. I painted in the sections one color at a time (mostly) – meaning I didn’t bounce around from yellow to blue to orange to yellow again. And I didn’t fill in any of the patterns until all of the color blocks were filled.
I did a combination of these two techniques for the rest of the paintings, as I felt there was a need for more “organization” but still a little room left for spontaneity.
When you live in a small space and don’t have a separate studio yet, you have to make do to make art. I’ve grown from tiny sketchbooks to this 60×72 inch commission in our small apartment, and while it is BEYOND beyond “not ideal” I’m grateful that I didn’t let lack of space get in my way of creating big bold art.
I am so grateful to Neha for giving me this opportunity and I look forward to working with her again in the near future after she unveils her new hotel to our city. Yes, we have plans. Join my mailing list to learn about upcoming events!
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