The chief function of color should be to serve expression. ~Henri Matisse

I became a Matisse admirer a couple years ago…when I saw his Woman in a Hat painting (La Femme au Chapeau). It is a colorful painting of his wife, Amelie. I loved his use of color, and from then on I tried to study up on the expressionists and the Fauves. Their use of broken color and wide brush strokes, just made me happy. That’s when I found out that I could get away from using “realistic” colors in my art too. It’s changed the way I paint. 

Of the six recent paintings I’ve worked on, this one reminds me the most of a Matisse portrait. Ah, I love the use of bright colors! “Eliza” is a 5 x 7 inch acrylic painting on canvas board. She has a lovely red backdrop, and brilliant green eyes. I love using those two colors together. She is now available for purchase in my online shop.

I also love repurposing older canvases, into newer works. This started out as a stretched canvas with collage. I had started drawing, then painting a portrait here a couple years ago, but then set it aside for a while. I came across the canvas last week, and decided to paint right over the collage and painting (that is the fun part of acrylic painting!…you can layer and layer!) and ended up with a bright and colorful portrait that I love. “Kristianna” is a 5 x 7 inch acrylic painting, on stretched canvas. The sides are painted as well, so there is no need for a frame. I put a light wax finish over most of my acrylic paintings, so they have a nice sheen to them, and it protects the paint as well. She is now available for purchase.  Sold, thank you!

I’m so happy that artists like Matisse have come before, to pave the way for future artists to express themselves in color!

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