It may become a large painting in oil, or perhaps the start of a series of paintings inspired by friends busy doing what they like doing.. in Fiona's case working on a crocheted blanket. It could also form the basis for a more complex work of multiple small-scale portraits. Or it may remain as it is. One of Tina's favourite things to say about art is that anything is possible, and that we can do anything we like, such a liberating thought.
Tina is fascinated by the facial expressions and head movements as people concentrate, and also their hands as they move through the necessary productive positions and gestures. In this initial exploration, she surprised herself by painting Fiona smiling as she worked. So, this is a starting point; an accomplished and insightful exploration that managed to surprise the artist but at the same time a source of inspiration for further work.
In the spirit of the twin-face of Janus, the name-sake of the month of January, we could all pause and look afresh at our work and sketchbooks, reflect and take inspiration from these starting points to further develop our future work, perhaps allowing ourselves and our work to develop and mature in surprising directions.
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| Fiona crocheting by Tina (watercolour and gouache) |
