I think I set a couple of records here, both for how long it took to make this painting, and also how long it has been since I have posted.

    I wish I could speed up my process. My profs would have said the same thing. But, I don't seem to be able to power through problems in paintings. I have to wait for for the answer to bubble up to the surface. Also, I need to carve out more time to do it. Teaching and real life have a tendency to get priority. 

Here is a close-up of the face:

      I won't name all the struggles, but they were real. I'm hoping a coat of varnish will ease over some of them. There are some progress shots of this painting on my Instagram, if you'd like to see some of the stages it went through. My user name is lynettevought.

   My next one is going to be a lot smaller!

    

     

Briar Rose

I'm posting this for IF's topic this week, hoard, because this woman hoards herself by staying in a box rather than sharing herself with others.

Intially, the woman in this image was supposed to have thorns all over her, but when I got to the point of adding them, it just didn't seem right. Maybe I'll do another one and put them in this time...

Forgotten

I hate to bum anyone out on such a nice spring day, but the IF topic this week is "Forgotten", so this is what I have for it: When my dad died, my mother was completely lost. At the same time, I was reading many stories in which a person's name was a source of their power. It seemed to me that my mother had forgotten herself so much in her grief that she couldn't even remember her own true name, and so had lost her power and her identity. She doesn't physically look like this, but it was how I saw her mental state.

Worry

Hands full of worries...

New Growth

Open Door

This is as close to pure fantasy as I usually get. This is an image that popped into my eyes after reading a novel by Charles deLint, one of my favorite authors. One of the minor characters in the story was a very large woman of the forest, who sometimes had the function of a guide of sorts. I am posting this for Illustration Friday's topic of the week, wide.

Mrs. Swift Learns to Speak Boy

For IF's challenge this week: strings

It might be kind of hard to see, but those are little Lego men tying down Mrs. Swift.

This is the third state of this drawing, done on coquille paper with graphite, 8.5" x 12". I have to start working larger!

Holding Up the Sky

I heard a quotation by Mao Tse Tung once that said "Women hold up half the sky". Sometimes it seems to me that in some contexts, their responsibilities extend beyond half.

Navigator

This is an older image, but it still has a story for me. It originated from a dream in which a dog/wolf grabbed my pocket and helped me across the street

Green Willow 2

For IF: imperfect

Ha! This image is certainly that! One of these days I'll fix this poor old girl's face so that it doesn't look smashed in on one side.

The story continues:

On the third day of Tomodata's journey, he encountered a fierce storm. Tomodata became lost and just when he was in despair, the clouds parted and the moon shone on a tiny cottage on a hill. In front of the cottage stood three green weeping-willow trees. Tomodata called out at the door and at once the door was opened by an old woman, who was dressed poorly but neatly. The old woman welcomed him in to rest and eat.

The Annunciation

Since Island can mean isolation, I am posting this painting for Illustration Friday's prompt. The girl in this picture is alone in her own world, but the nature spirits in the back are about to lead her out of that sheltered existence. The nature spirits were inspired by Charles DeLint's Crow Girls.

Labyrinth

For IF: Hiding behind layers of leaves, layers of masks....

This is not a self-portrait, but it is close. Sometimes I am an invisible woman. This is a portrait of her.