August 13, 2006

Night Garden


nightgarden mixed media 12"x36"

In the night garden we will linger.

While we search for the perfect stem -

the one which has the fragrance of wine,

to drink in the evening,

one breath at a time,

one step at a time,

through the wet grass

passing the damp leaves

which stroke our legs.

one word begins - then stops

It tugs at our hearts.

--
Sometimes it takes a single piece of work to inspire a change in direction to your work, sometimes a single word.

More poetry at Poetry Thursday
More art at Inspire me Thursday


19 comments:

Willie Baronet said...

Really like this one!!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! It's the perfect thing to do on a warm summer evening.

PS - you did wish me a happy birthday but it's so nice to hear it again! Thanks, Susan! :)

Anonymous said...

Susan, I like these wonderful flowers in the night and the nice combination of painting and poetry.

Madeleine said...

such a dreamy poem....so evocotive and atmospheric.

lovely :)

the said...

Reminds me of Klimt for some reason.

Funky Finds said...

Beautiful poetry & artwork, Susan! Have a fantastic week.

Joy Eliz said...

Beautiful, beautiful!!

Susan Schwake said...

thank you all for your comments! Ms. Pratt emailed and asked some questions about how the texture was achieved..
this is what i did...

first i painted with thick acrylics and heavy medium the underpainting of oranges greens blues and yellows. i used a variety of texture making tools like hair picks and rubber tipped clay markers to make the first layer pretty bumpy.

secondly i mixed up a very deep black with alizarian, ultramarine blue and lemon yellow. and then painted the background leaving the flower. or funny balloons as DH calls them. tee hee.
(ahem)

then i used caran d'arche to form the stems and wet painted water over them to soften the forms.

finally using golden acrylic soft gold and adding to the glitz which you can not really see here due to the nature of digital photography.

no oil bars this time, but usually i do use that or a layer of beeswax and resin on the base for texture.

thanks for asking andrea!

andrea said...

Thanks, Susan. What is the base of caran d'ache crayons? Wax? And how do you seal the final product? Would Golden polymer varnish work over top of the caran d'ache?

Susan Schwake said...

oopsie!
water soluble wax for the crayons and i seal all my work with isolation layers of soft gel and then golden polymer varnish.
almost always that combo.
sorry a!

andrea said...

Excellent -- I always put down an isolation coat of acrylic medium as well so now you have my wheels turning... :o

angela said...

this is beautiful susan... it's truely beautiful.

you even paint the most beautiful images with your words.

oxo

Tongue in Cheek Antiques said...

Oh You, you talented you! You have not answered my question is there anything you cannot do?? Thank you for sharing your giftedness, it is wonderful inspiration each day to see what you will bring to your blog!

artbyjune said...

Beautiful. Enjoyed your description of process too.

diana said...

susan... you amaze me... I really like this one.

Anonymous said...

Lovely, lovely, lovely... Both the painting and the poem, you are so multitalented!!!

the said...

Klimt I tell you!

Loca said...

Really liked both, the poem and the drawing, they seem perfect together, thanks for sharing.
:))

Unknown said...

I love the flowers & the poem is beautiful...

Ouissi x