The Mists of Avalon

Hello everyone!

I've been a bit vacant from the art world lately. I've been going through some health problems, and hopefully will be on the mend very soon. I can't wait to get back into gear and start making lots of art again!

Anyway, I have a piece in the Femme Thou Art Collective's July auction - the theme is The Mists of Avalon (and other Arthurian legends). I was so excited when it was chosen as an auction theme, as it was my suggestion! This month's auction is truly gorgeous; there's so many beautiful pieces I wish I could take home with me!

This is the piece I created, entitled 'Morgaine' (more commonly known as Morgana). Her story is mysterious, magical, passionate, vengeful, and also quite sad. I've seen many incarnations of her character (the show Merlin was one of my favourites), and I've always felt a kinship with her.

The Mists of Avalon - Morgaine - Morgana

I wanted to focus on Morgaine's ability of parting the mists that shrouded Avalon, and being able to see the magical world that lay beyond the veil. The mist would cling around the trees and bushes, framing the island in an eerie, mysterious way. I pictured Morgaine herself as independent yet vulnerable, perhaps a little bit bohemian with her hair and dress, and her companion 'the raven' at her side.

I used a very cool colour pallet - lots of blues - to help convey a mood of darkness and mystery.

I really hope you all love her as much I as I do! If you'd like to bid on the original piece, and/or take a look at the other gorgeous pieces in the auction, check it out here:

Mists of Avalon Original Art Auction

In other news, I have another auction coming up in August for the Copycat Violence Artist Collective. I'm not sure if I will feel well enough to finish a piece for it, but I'm certainly going to try! The theme is "Not a single F was given'. I have some interesting ideas swirling around that are quite different from this Morgaine piece. But we'll see if those come to fruition soon!

I also have a group show coming up in September at Thumbprint Gallery. I really really hope I am feeling well enough to make some pieces for it. It'll be my first BIG show, and I'd be exhibiting with so many artists I admire, like Jel Ena, Kmye Chan, Stephanie Law, and more! It's hard to pass up an opportunity like that even if you feel sick.

There's also a big move on the horizon for me - to Kelowna! But more on that later. I hope you're all having a wonderful summer, and feeling super happy and creative! Drop me a comment and let me know what's been going on in your life! :)

Yours Truly: 100 Postcards for Human Rights at Alexi Era Gallery

I'm honoured to be a contributing artist to tonight's "Yours Truly: 100 Postcards for Human Rights" show at Alexi Era Gallery, in St. Louis.

Human rights are something I'm very passionate about - whether it's constitutional rights, like freedom of speech and expression; women's, minorities and LGBTQ rights and equality; religious freedom and mental wellness... Basically everything under the sun that has to do with human liberty, and overcoming the barriers that stand in our way.

Here's my postcard sized painting, entitled 'Sorrow Fall'. The title means literally that your sorrow is falling away, and you're being filled with growth and renewal out of a bad situation. I have infinite faith in our ability to overcome our struggles and continue being a better species.

I created this piece over the span of a day, filled with inspiration from the show. I drew it all out in pencil, refined the sketch, inked it with my microns, and then painted it with watercolours. I added some acrylic gold touches to the nest.

I hope whoever ends up with my piece is filled with hope and overcomes any obstacles in their way. :)

The Sweet Succubus

Who knew a succubus could be so sweet?

For the Femme Thou Art 'Monochrome Madness' auction, I was a bit stumped about what to create. Monochrome Madness meant that you had to do a painting in black and white (and grey), plus one colour. I don't mind limited colour pallets, in fact I quite like doing them - I've created some of my strongest pieces using this technique - but for some reason I was lost and didn't know what to make.

Eventually a concept drifted down from the heavens, and hit me on the head. I thought about crimson red scarab beetles and a beautiful girl with white hair. Thus 'Sweet Succubus' was created.


1. When the imagery popped into my head I sketched it all down madly, making sure to get the feeling for what I wanted to create and the colour pallet.

2. Then I started to sketch out my concept onto Arches Hot Press Watercolour Paper (best paper ever), and worked out all of the details... For anyone wondering, I use a generic mechanical pencil for sketching purposes. I like the perfectly sharp end.  I ended up changing the figure's composition quite a bit by the end of my sketching, and also came to the decision that the piece should be in a circular shape, and that I wouldn't be extending her body outside of the circle.

3. Inking! Gone are the pencil marks, and now onto the ink. I made a decision long ago to pretty much always outline my figures. There's a rich, elegant beauty about line art that I just can't resist. When you ink something, it's saying that you've made your decision on the direction that that piece is going to take - there's no going back now!

I was kind of going for a Japanese aesthetic with this piece, and wanted her hair to resemble the wavy smoke designs in old Japanese artwork. I like making things ambiguous - is it hair, or is it part of a tree, or ribbons, or smoke? Things morphing into other things.

4. Another moment of inspiration hit - and I realized that she needed a scale print on her dress.

5. Deciding her tones and colours went by fairly quickly as I had already done a scribbly sketch to get an idea of how I saw her and the placement of colours and tones. I wanted the piece to be gothic, but kind of light at the same time. There are few places of concentrated blacks, aside from her gloves and the line art itself. I used pencil crayon for horns, dress, gloves, and ribbon, and watercolour for the background effect.

The spiral bit in the background was a happy experiment. I used a wet on wet technique to apply a grey that I mixed myself (which has a slight greenish tint to it). For some reason I was envisioning the Faun from Pan's Labyrinth and the spiral patterns on his face, while I was doing the background.

I'm also a big fan of using instagram filters on my works in progress to really emphasize a piece. To be honest, I kind of love this instagram pic below more than the scanned version of the same picture. :/

5. Tah dah! The Sweet Succubus is all finished! She's not in my shop yet, so please contact me if you're interested in purchasing this piece.

Lucinda Sketch

Sweet little Lucinda, the girl who had a flower for an eye, and she was never to know why. 

It's getting super chilly here, and now that December's upon us, I imagine it will get much colder. I have several things coming up, including a craft fair at the Portobello West Market, in downtown Vancouver. I've been busily getting paintings and drawings ready for the show, and designing lots of new ear cuffs and necklaces as well. I'm really excited to put together my table, and will share photographs during and after the event. 

Then, on the sixteenth of December, I'll be auctioning off an original painting on wood, of Titania, Queen of the Faeries, from William Shakespeare's play, a Mid Summer Night's dream. I'm really excited about this piece, and can't wait to finish it! 

On top of all that, the Femme Thou Art Collective has a 2014 birthstone calendar coming out, which includes one of my pieces! I can't wait to see the calendar in person, and hope you'll all support our group by purchasing a copy, or sharing the calendar info on your page. ^_^

I hope you've all had a great November, and are looking forward to the holidays! Do you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or any other holidays? What are your traditions?

Peridot Birthstone Painting

For this month's Femme Thou Art Collective auction, I created a piece inspired by my birthstone, Peridot (August born). I was initially worried about having to draw and paint gem stones, esp. in such a pale tone as lime green, but I decided to step up to the challenge and do it. 

While this piece is only letter size, the girl herself is much larger than I usually draw my figures. To be honest, it was much more challenging getting proportions right, and colouring things in. I definitely need to start working bigger! I'm still debating on whether I should have punched up the warm tones in her skin, and if she hasn't sold by the end of the week, I might just do that with pencil crayons; but I haven't made a decision if she even needs it yet. What do you think?

As for her lacy top/tattoos, it was a bit of a last minute thing that I doodled with the paint brush, but I'm really loving it. Perhaps I'll try doing even more detailed tattoos on a future painting? I've also noticed I seem to have developed an interest in gravity defying hair, and things falling down from it. It's kind of funny, because I have no idea why I like drawing hair that way. Maybe in a future painting I'll draw a whole world wrapped up in a lady's hair? Who knows!

Anyway, hope you love this piece as much as I do. I think Peridot may be my new favourite piece. ^_^
PS: Let me know if you're interested in a print! :)

Here are some photos of this piece in progress from instagram (@ sashafitzgerald):

Dr. Seuss Inspired Illustration

I recently completed a piece for the Dr. Seuss Tribute Show at Blackbird Studios. At first I wasn't sure what sort of piece I wanted to make - and then I googled a bunch of Dr. Seuss book pages and realized what I wanted to do. I decided to take the opportunity to illustrate a piece incorporating characters and imagery from several of the Dr. Seuss kids books.

While working on this piece I shared pictures of my progress as I went along on instagram (follow me @ sashafitzgerald). Below is the scanned in version of the finished image, as well as the painting in it's frame. I decided to go with a black frame because it really drew the attention to the ink work, which is one of the key things that sticks out to me in all of the Dr. Seuss books. 

Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat

I went for a feeling of energy, bright colours, and funny little characters - all the things that appealed to me when I was a kid reading Dr. Seuss books. 

I hope you guys love this illustration and brings back fond memories of childhood! :)

The Temptation of Snow White

I created this piece for the Femme Thou Art Collective's Grimm Fairytales auction theme. I was so happy to see a lovely lady place a bid, and now Snow White is off to her new happy home in Australia.

Someone else fell in love with this piece, and has also purchased a print, which made me incredibly happy! It's amazing to think that two people loved my painting enough to warrant spending money on it. It makes me think that this full time artist thing might yet be possible! :)

If you'd like a print for yourself, your kids, or a friend, please let me know (shoot me an email: ziggyorange@hotmail.com). I'm thinking of doing a limited edition set of 10 prints, with gold acrylic embellishments, painted by hand. Paper size is 8.5x11, on hahnemuhle fine art paper with pearl finish - $20 for print, and 10$shipping within North America, $15 shipping outside of North America.

Sugar Rush Painting

In my spare time I've been experimenting with painting on wood - in this piece in particular, I used watercolours, pencil crayons, and acrylics to complete this piece. 

I really love creating these small wooden paintings. They allow me to let go, and experiment with new ideas and new painting techniques. It's really a lot of fun! :)

If you're interested in purchasing this piece, it's available in my etsy shop. 

I hope you're all having a lovely Autumn!!

The White Lady

Hello lovelies!

I completed this piece last month for the Femme Thou Art Collective auction. This month's theme was 'The White Lady'. 

Ever since I heard a friend's story about the White Lady, the myth of this mysterious being has been in my mind. According to my friend, the White Lady appears on the death bed of her family members, letting them know that their time to pass on is coming shortly. Many members of her family have seen her... a ghostly woman, glowing, and dressed in white. 

My friend and her family are Norwegian, and so to me, I think of this being as a matron spirit who watches over her Norse descendants. 

With this inspiration in mind, this is the piece I came up with (below). 

She has a crooked nose, because I adore imperfection. Her eyes are slanted like my friend's. The colour scheme is simple and icy, giving a sense of ghostliness. She's wearing Victorian styled clothing, perhaps hinting at the time she lived in. 

I hope you like this piece! :) The photos below were taken on instagram (@sashafitzgerald) to journal my progress on this piece. 

Well that's it for today. I'm super stoked for this months theme 'Steampunk', can't wait to see what I and the other femme's come up with! ;)

Celestia

Sometimes I like to paint something little, like this piece, before I get started on a bigger, more complex painting. It helps to get the nerves out, and feel freer and more comfortable about getting started on the next painting. 

I used watercolours and sepia ink on bristol paper. The colours don't really blend as smoothly as they would on hot press paper, but that wasn't what I was going for anyway. I like the contrasting colours in this little portrait. I like the.. raw feeling. 

Anyway, just thought I'd share 'Celestia' with you. Hope you like her! 

*she's also for sale in my shop*

Winsome Decay

Good news! I was accepted into the Portobello West Market!!! Hurrah!
The tricky part is figuring out how I'm going to pay for it. It's going to cost me $400 smack-a-roos. I'm going to see about possibly paying in installments, or getting an extension on the deadline, or, if it comes down to it, pan-handling. Just kidding. ;)
Thank you to all those who wished me luck!

Now, onto arty things. I've been making progress on 'Winsome Decay', a painting I meant to finish for the Femme Thou Art Collective's June auction. It's turned into a really complicated piece, which means that it will take me longer to finish than I originally intended. It will still most likely be available in my shop unless it's sold before that time.

The theme of this piece is 'Life Springing From Decay'. I brainstormed a lot of different ideas along the vein of rebirth, cycles in life, things dying while other things are thriving... I think I captured the idea best with the bird's unhatched eggs in the nest, which rests inside of a skull. It's like the unborn life is being protected by the outer shell or husk of what used to bare life (and now in a way it will aid in baring life again). The mushrooms, while a subject of great interest to me, especially make sense to the theme in this piece. They are things that feed off of other things that are in a state of decay (or will be when the fungus gets to it!).

All of these different pieces are juxtaposed together to create a new meaning... new possibilities. The ultimate symbol of life in the nude female form, she who gives birth to all. But she's also there because she represents the soul. She's the shell giving the soul life and existence in this physical plane. Once she's gone and decayed, the soul will live on. A bit of morbid mixed with beauty.

>> This post will be updated with more pictures until this piece is finished 

Artwork in Progress Update

A quick little update. I have so many paintings in progress I can't even count them all at the moment, lol. 

Art and Depression Dammitttt

Well today is one of those shalajbksjasaBLAH posts.

I am busy and have lots to do, but I'm tired, broke, and desperately need a cup of coffee (even if just for a temporary rush). But I will settle for tea. I'm out of my favourite one (a yummy raspberry one made by lipton I think).

Anyway, I feel bleh, and I needed somewhere to say that. Even though things are looking up, I feel stagnated in my head. Like stuck in the mud (or soul sand, if you play minecraft).

I'm a little lonely too. And I want to go to Paris, today. I feel young, dumb, and immature, and yet like I'm aging too fast (I have way too many grey hairs... sad face). I just hope I make something out of this thing called life. I guess that's what we all hope for.

I want to take my camera and shoot the hell out of stuff. Go on adventures, take some chances, make some mistakes. Get a tattoo, or pierce something naughty.

Forget professionalism (at least for today).

Do you have any advice on how I can get out of this three year long funk? I'm getting tired of it, and bored out of my mind. One can only paint and make stuff so much until they go bonkers.

Here's some art I've been working on:

The Swan Girl, oil on wood, for an upcoming show
at Blackbird Studios in June. 

I hope you're all having a better day than I am. I think I'm going to make that tea now. :)

The Tattooed Lady - Painting Progress

The due date for the 'Greatest Show on Earth' (circus theme) show at Blackbird Studios is coming up, so I've been busily working on my two paintings for the show. 

The first one, is the Tattooed Lady, a historical character in the circus sideshow. These were real women who grew up in working class families and wanted to make a better life for themselves. Becoming a Tattooed Lady for a circus provided that opportunity. The women would get paid something like $200 a week, which was amazing for the time. I think working class men got $15-20 per week.

The downside (or upside?) is that they had to have their whole bodies tattooed. They had to forever sacrifice their appearance, and step out of society, becoming a 'freak' for their whole lives. Everyone would always look at them and wonder, laugh, and make jokes at her expense. I think you'd have to be a pretty strong person to do that... not to mention that tattooing your whole body probably hurts... a LOT.

Anyway, here's the Tattooed Lady so far:

Lots of arty things!

Wow! Has it been long since my last post or what!?

I've been very, very, verrrrry busy. But good busy. So here's a big update post. ^_^

Lindsay and I created the Femme Thou Art Collective - a group of highly skilled international artists, whose artwork revolves around the feminine. We've both put in a lot of time and effort to get this idea off the ground, and things are starting to heat up and get exciting. Our first group auction will be on May 20th, the theme being 'Tarot'. We've also got a show in Las Vegas at Blackbird Studios that some of us will be participating in. There's a few other exciting things planned and on the horizon for the collective, so you guys will just have to wait and see! :)
Make sure to follow us on our facebook page.

I recently finished this illustration 'Secret Diary'. I've decided to also pursue freelance illustration for children's and teens books, and am building up a fantasy portfolio just for that.

I also got some really fantastic commissions and sales in my shop, the Bohemian Faerie. I made two matching ear drops for a customer that's wearing them with a costume, a pair of forest elf ear cuffs for a mother who's giving them to her daughter, and I sold my first, biggish piece of artwork (I was and am still so so so excited about that).

The jewelry making tray, where I plan out my designs

Forest Elf Ear Cuffs

The original painting I sold, of a Steampunk Girl named Althea. I used real gold ;)

I'm just waiting for my camera battery to finish charging, and I'll add in some photos of the ear drops. :) I hope you're all having a lovely weekend!

*Just a shout out to all of the folks who might read my blog or admire my work:
If you're an aspiring artist, jewelry maker, or want to start a creative business, feel free to ask me questions. I love to help others in any way I can, so I'd love to hear from you. Just leave a comment on a post. ^_^

Artwork in progress update

It seems like lately I'm working on lots of paintings at once, at different stages. Before I start anything new, I'm going to finish up 'Secret Diary'. There's not much left to do on this one, other than to colour in the smaller details, add some more to the dik-diks (the cute animals), and darken the background more. 

This drawing below, of 'Téa' has been really popular since I posted it on my various online haunts. It's really encouraging, because it was just a doodle, and people seem to really like it. I'd love to do some larger graphite as well as pencil crayon pieces in the future. But the larger scale art seems to overwhelm me haha! I guess I just have to do some more of it so I can get used to it. 

I was really diggin' this piece below. Well, until my cat knocked over a glass of water on it... now it's all messed up at the bottom of the page. Not sure if I'm gonna finish it now. 

My experiments with oil paints continues! I have such a long way to go when it comes to learning how to paint with oils. Some of my smaller works have turned out well, but this larger one... well you can see for yourself that it needs some vast improvements. But that's part of the excitement of learning a new media. 

In general arty news, Lindsay Cheesewright and I are in the process of creating an art collective, which is really exciting and uber time consuming. We have high hopes for our group and can't wait to see what the future brings!

Hope you're all having a good Monday morning! :)

Oil Paintings on wood, artwork in progress

Hey everybody!

I've been busy painting away, staying up really strange hours (went to bed at 10 am, got up at 4pm, lol I must be crazy haha), and just generally being productive.

One of my paintings, 'Secret Diary' is taking a damned long time to finish. I'm actually really loving this piece (which is a relief because I had to struggle through an awful ugly phase for a while there). The main reason why it's taking so long to finish is because I'm only working on it when I can record the process, so that I can make another video for guys on youtube. Buuuuut I don't always feel like painting at my desk where the tripod is set up, so I tend to avoid working on a piece for too long if I have to work there. I prefer to have my artwork in my lap.... maybe I'll try doing a video from that vantage point next time, haha!?

Anyway, here's a few progress shots of that one:

When I take breaks from paint 'Secret Diary', I've taken to dabbling with oils. :)

Annnd finally, a larger wip, that's just at the beginning stages. 

Thanks for stopping by! Wish me luck with these pieces (I'll need it, haha!) :)