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suedollin — Irradiated Leaves
Published: 2007-07-02 05:23:16 +0000 UTC; Views: 1437; Favourites: 35; Downloads: 50
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Description
This watercolour was inspired by Karin's photo of autumn gum leaves. [link]Related content
Comments: 41
I featured this. I'm trying to put just one or two large images in the journal. 
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My goodness, I'm honored. Thanks
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oh, WOW!! 
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Wow to you too. Great gallery you have there!
Thanks for the fave and great comments.
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hahaha 
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That is sooooooooooo COOL!!!!! 
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Thank you for the lovely comments and glad you like my colourful leaves.
Thanks for the fave too, much appreciated.
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Really?
Karin has been a great inspiration as well as the photo of the leaves. She is a really special person and friend thanks to DA. Its great to paint again. I need a reason to paint, not driven by a passion for it like my fibre art but when I'm onto something like the leaves I wonder why I don't do it more. There are heaps of gonna be paintings, but usually find other things to do instead.
There are so many clever and talented artists out there, its difficult to throw my stuff out there too. All I can see are the floors, but so glad you like it. Don't stop being nice to me.
Alastair, do you paint or draw other than on a computer? By the way I think drawing on a computer is a lot harder than on paper. What you do is amazing.
Sue
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You should keep up the painting! Even if you don't show it, it's good for the soul. I agree about the talented artists part, but we are all talented aren't we? I'd love to see more.
I do a bit of sketching and sometimes use a drawing tablet, but mostly incorporate photography. I'm a pretty crap pencil artist and just don't have the patience to watch paint dry. The computer has been a revelation for me. I've been using computers for years and years for graphic design and never really considered it anything more than a tool for that. It just occurred to me one day that maybe I could create something better on it that expresses what I want. Go with what you know and all that.
At the time I wasn't even connected to the internet and the larger art world at all and thought I'd discovered digital art all by myself. Oh how naive! Looking around DA and similar sites has made me realise I have a long way to go. It's been a great spur to consolidate my style and my art.
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That probably explains why your work is so unique, discovering it on your own. I'm not good at describing things but you have a unique style. So much of the digital art on DA is too mathematical. Yours has a life force, soul of its own. I can see a narrative or meaning in your work which is captivating. Its not esoteric, its accessible, to me anyway. Its got the immediate wow factor and then when I look deeper it reveals more. I thought you must have had some sort of art training, but you are just like me. Self taught. I think that makes your art work more honest. Does that make sense? Of course we are influenced by so many things, but you haven't been trained in a particular style, genre or philosophy. Its good and its you. Thats special.
I'd love to see how you do your art. I'm having trouble imagining the physical actions on a computer. It sounds so big or so minute (pixel by pixel). Some people seem to pump them out daily, so that makes me think its easy, but yours don't appear to be like that.
Consolidation of style comes. It takes time to reveal itself, but I think you are already there.
Will try to do more painting.
Alastair, been great talking to you this morning.
Sue
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Yeah, I think that has actually turned out to be a bonus. I see a lot of young designers/artists come out of school with brilliant technical knowledge and know all the buttons and shortcuts, but don't have any soul in their art. Maybe being trained in design etc and not art was also a bonus. To be honest I don't really take much notice of what other people (apart from the ones I watch) are doing - so much of it is technically wicked, but like I said, lacks soul.
Thanks for the kind words - puff that chest out. I'm proud. Cheers. Alastair
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You've got a big soul and its so good you are here sharing it. It inspires me to be honest about myself and how I see things.
Puff that chest up some more, you should be proud.
Sue
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I would seriously doubt you have ever blushed in your life! lol
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Well I can't puff my chest out any more, so blushing it will have to be. LOL.
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I Love this! I was going to ask what photoshop filter you used, because it seems I've been on such a photoshop /photography bend of late I never stopped to think it could be a painting, and now i love it all the more because it is, I adore useing solorisation on my photographs. but never thought about it translating so well into trad Art!....This beautiful painting has given me a whole new perspective!!!!Your feel for composition is superb, love love love this work.......Do More
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Hi Liz
Wow, what lovely and encouraging things to say. Thank you and for the fave as well.
I often see digital stuff that I want to translate into the more traditional mediums. Most of the time I want to do it in textiles, but the painting is fun too. Painting is a bit quicker than textiles as you could appreciate.
I find your still lifes' very inspiring. I recently purchased a Canon 100mm Macro lens and have only really dabbled with it. I've tried a few things on the light box but need to get more side lighting happening and perfect the technique.
Thanks again. Check out my imaginary fish I posted this morning. Another painting.
Sue
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Wow! Even for watercolour, the colours are so vibrant - I was expecting this to be a guache. Regarding the background, I think it looks great as it is, with the salt effects and water patterns. Even if you decided to give it a full black background, it would only make the colours glow more.
Even the colours and patterns you used reflect Australiana traditional art and nature. I love it
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Wow thanks for the great comments, its very encouraging and I'm glad you like it. I think I'll leave the background. It was a lot of work to get the blotchy look. However I need to redo the yellow edges, I've left gaps I'm not happy with.
I love Aboriginal art and try not to let it influence what I do, which is hard.
And thanks for the fave too Jennifer.
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Oh, I don't understand why you don't want to let Aboriginal art influence your work, you have a unique style, and the influence is minimal, I often see things I shouldn't 
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I think Aboriginal Art influences me, whether I want to or not. I'm just concerned about copying it, or seeming to. Their symbolism is sacred and to be respected and its hard not to borrow or draw from that. I guess what ever I do, I can be inspired by or influenced by or even be an interpretation of their art.
You say the nicest things. Thank you so much.
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I merely state the truth, Sue.
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Your words are music to my ears!
I read a lot of geology books and study the diagrams or photos of strata, rock formations and other patterns in the lay of the land. To me, Aboriginal art does this too. They seem to capture the barest elements of things, the skeleton like drawings of animals, the contours of the land and the aerial aspect of their compositions. Looking down on the earth and almost looking through it like xray vision. So my inspiration comes from both aspects, as you say a response to the spirit and structure of the earth.
Thanks for the chat.
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Hi Karin, you've made my day. Saying its colourful is probably and understatement. Wanted to exaggerate the colours autumn creates and when you posted the the image you solarized in PS, it got me going.
Do you think the background should be a solid black? Maybe the shaded background is too busy for an already busy subject?
Anyway so glad you like it. Thanks again for inspiring me. I wish I could bottle your enthusiasm and take a drink from it when needed. You are very special. Have a great creative day! Love Sue
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Oh, thank you, Sue! 
Have you decided if you are going to do the Mandala next or the fish? 
Enthusiasm! Me? Well, I do get very enthusiastic about other people's art, sometimes. Now if only I could get enthusiastic about working rather than talking about what I'm going to do.
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I think I am over leaves for a while anyway. If you think the background is ok I'll leave it. The fishy thing has grabbed my attention now and I'll run with that. The mandala is ticking away in the background. I think I need to do more painting. I don't want to pack them away just yet.
I laughed when you mentioned being more enthusiastic when talking about it than executing it. I feel like a do that all the time! My design wall is covered in bits and pieces of ideas. In fact there is no room left to design on!
Lovely talking to you.
Sue
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Hey Sue, so cool, that you are fired up to do art. I love having another artsy fartsy friend who is on a similar wavelength as me. Mind you I enjoy all kinds of friends, but some are more like sisters. I have two sisters in Canada, and I do miss that closeness we have. Now I have some painting friends, who are like sisters in a way. Friendships take time, but sometimes you get lucky and you find a friendship which is close from the start.
I worked on my fish last night (in bed). I worked on it about two hours. Afterwards I was so pleased with it. I have also written some verses about it, which have to be polished, but I think they are fun and compliment the fish. Talk about inspired!
Always a pleasure to talk to you, Sue! 
PS. You said you had a quilt that is like a mandala. I'd like to see it !
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Hi, soul sister. Hope its not too cold there today. The sun is starting to peak out from the clouds now.
Now thats a neat idea in this cold weather. Do your art work in bed!
Can't wait to see it and read the poem.
I'll take a better photo of the quilt, well really its a wall hanging. Its been published in a couple of magazines but those photos I can scan but are not as good as I can take with my new camera.
It will be the mandala entry, because to do one will take me ages at the rate I work. I would like to do a mandala for each of my sons, kind of a portrait of what they are and what they do which will take time to develop the ideas.
Better get to doing something today!
Have a good one. Love Sue
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Hey sis!
I was so tired after all the physical exertion, I even had a bit of a nap. When I finally got to bed around 10 ish, I thought I'd work on my fish, because I was too busy all day. One of the advantages of working with coloured pencils. At about 12:30 I thought I better get some sleep.
I'll look forward to your quilt mandala, when you get it up on your webpage. I appreciate that you are going to add it to my feature on mandalas. The more the better.
What a great idea to do one for each of your sons. You do put a lot of thought into your artwork.
I will certainly treasure the lovely shell picture you did for me. I will keep it where I can see it, and it will inspire me. I also love you leaves painting, and I'm very proud of what you've done in the time since I met you.
I better get going...I've already spent too much time on here.
Thanks for your caring and sharing.
Have a great day!
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Hi Maha, thanks for the lovely comment and from an artist like yourself is very rewarding. Nice to hear from you.
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Nice one mum, great paintin. Are we going to be lucky enough to have this hang in the house somwhere?
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Glad you like it Scott. If you think its good enough to hang well I might just do that.
Next time I take a picture of a painting I wont use my good lens, it showed up all the little bits I missed! Sometimes the detail is too honest.
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Hi Amy.
Multi talented? Well, I did bring Scott into the world.......nuh, that was patience not talent!
Thanks, you are a sweetie.
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