Lavender's Dungeon

Paintings:

Lunch at the Grape Escape

April 2019

I wanted the central shape of this painting to be an ordinary shape made unique. I was originally going to start with a Coca-Cola bottle, but I thought a wine bottle would fit my style better. I like the way that my shadow adds an element creating symmetry and balance between both sides of the painting. The one thing I would change about this painting would be the shadows and their appearance.

This is my favorite part about my painting because it creates texture and introduced me to a new technique. By globbing the white paint on the brush I was able to create the waxy effect of light reflecting off the grapes. Here I used the lessons I learned from Playing in the Shade when it came to depth and shape.

Howl’s Paradise 1 May 2019

*Howl’s Paradise,* Gessod palate with oil paint

For this painting I drew my inspiration from one of my favorite artists; Hayao Miyazaki. He creates the animations for Studio Ghibli movies, and he is well-known for his talents. In one of the movies, Howl’s Moving Castle, Howl creates a paradise through an alternate dimension for the woman he loves. I wanted to encompass that feeling of comfort and warmth in my imaginary world. This is why I used bright, warm colors and inviting beauty within the textures and details of the landscape.

This is my favorite detail of the painting because it shows my careful edges and shading as well as the texture of the mountains. I love the reflection I did here in the mini lake with the stippled clouds creating a mystical haze. You can see how my hand improved on the latter completed side as opposed to the left side.