Announcement

Hi guys. I hope so much you are very well out there.
I have decided to limit my internet activity to one platform.
At a moment it is Instagram. See you there!
https://www.instagram.com/irinapaints

Girls

After a long break I am back with these tempera girls to wish you happy holidays and all the best ahead.

Copying Masters: Sargent

370x480mm, Tempera on wallpaper

Very interesting and educative experience, this copy of John Singer Sargent's masterpiece.

Dacha Life

20x25cm Neocolor sticks; 30x40cm Oil pastel on tempera background

Sketchbook pages.

Buddies

Tempera,20 x 25cm

Shoes as an endless source of inspiration.

Advice: Manolo Blahniks's Instagram (here) helps to lock our crazy world away for a while.

Sketchbook Pages

Outdoor drawing sessions in my sketchbook.

Definition of Freedom

50x70cm, Tempera on wallpaper

This one started with the study of limited palette of white/black/y.ochre/cad.red and the idea to draw something based on folklore.
At the end the painting turned into a symbolic definition of freedom: dignity, wisdom, strength and free will.

Side Light

Shallow Water

50 x 70cm, Tempera on wallpaper

Clown, 8 Years Older

The old clown is laughing and still making jokes on the shelf. I already tried to draw him in the beginning of my art story, in faraway 2009. Here he is, and I love them both.

Elephants in the Interior

 

Elephants in the Interior. What a joy to draw and paint without any obligations, for the pure pleasure of the process. Freedom in its pure meaning.

See You Next Winter

Narrow shelf near the entrance door several weeks ago was holding my winter savers - mittens, gloves, beanie. Today these guys are washed and hidden in the wardrobe to wait for next winter.

Warm and Cool Palette

Trying to catch day colors using warm (up) and cool (down) palettes. After so many times sketching the same view from the window, I painted these frames from memory.

Last Page in Next Sketchbook

Another sketchbook is finished. This ink sketch of the corner of my apartment was drawn on the last page in 2016-2017 sketchbook chronicles.

Morning Mandalas

My yoga guru (I am happy to have one!) told us about the amazing power of morning mandala.

When you get up in the morning and have plans and obligations and fears for the day, drawing morning mandala, easy, without any particular idea, giving your hand freedom and loosing control,  gives you relief and energy to be brave and effective during the whole long day.

Try one, as I did here, I am sure you will like the process.

Bearded Man

The funny thing here is I was so happy with the result when finished this portrait. Few weeks later I realized this man is well, a little bit out of order with his nose, neck and some other parts. Now, later on, I desperately recognize the guy looks similar to our president. Ho-ho-ho, do not read too many news, Irina!

The Dance

Experiment in tempera and hands drawing.

M.D.N.A

The smart name for this post I stole from Madonna's (singer) page I like on Facebook. I am sure she does not care.
The girl is inspired by David Hockney's collage. I used news paper, magazines' pages, Brullov's and Rerikh's reproductions (that explain the richness of her coat, such coat I would like for myself too).
The eyes on the left are the alternative eyes I wanted for my girl. Unfortunately, they were refused and left on the windowsill.

Early Morning in Ikea Cafe

Deserted Ikea, right after the opening, gave me kind of surrealistic feeling. Empty rooms, which are always so alive and crowded, were calm and lonely. Cafe, silent and loaded with food. Little version of planet Earth after the end of times.

Ordinary disastrous every day events in my country and overall rise of temperature in the world completely washed away my wish to express myself in blogging. But suddenly the spammers helped. The amount of spam became unbearable, which usually shows that blog is forgotten by its owner and needs revival. So here I am, drawing, painting, blogging. I hope you are all right out there, my friends.

Copying Masters: Charles Reid

Another attempt of mine to solve the secret of transparent and breathing watercolors of inexpliсable, inimitable, talented and unpredictable Mr. Charles Reid (his site).