Archives For Monet

Waterlilies

marylizingramart —  April 2, 2011 — Leave a comment

In a departure from my usual livestock and landscapes, I spent an especially artistically-energetic evening drawing a series of waterlilies, obviously inspired by Monet and my affinity for Impressionism. The pieces range in size from 4×4 to 8×10, and these are two examples.

To me the simple floating flowers seem almost meditative…tranquil, pleasant and serene. Like a lingering hug or a lazy overcast morning, an invitation to pause and breathe slowly and deeply. A quiet moment of stillness when all the world seems good, safe, happy and wrapped in peace, soothing worries and calming the spirit. I enjoyed drawing the waterlilies so much, I had to force myself to stop before I had a dozen!

In Alabama, Birmingham, flower, Impressionism, Ingram, Liz, Mary, Monet, pastels, Sennelier, soft pastel, waterlilies, waterlily
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Ocean Cliffs

marylizingramart —  March 18, 2011 — Leave a comment


Ocean Cliffs, 14×18 Soft Pastel on Card

The works of Monet and my love for the beauty of the British Isles inspired this piece; what made it’s creation even better was drawing outside on such a fabulous and warm Spring day. I love Impressionism, and this particular image seemed a perfect choice for another attempt at using bolder color and strokes. In my art room above my desk, I have a handwritten quote taped to the wall by Georges Riviere from 1877: “To treat a subject for the colors and not for the subject itself, that is what distinguishes the Impressionist from other painters.” I am far from an Impressionist and am constantly pulled toward capturing minute details, but this sentence echoes through my thoughts when I am drawing, pushing me to look for color over subject, for feel over accuracy. It never fails to surprise me that when I let go of rigidity and move with the colors, I step back and see that the picture has come together…and each time I delightfully wonder how it happened.

In Alabama, Art, Birmingham, cliff, Georges Riviere, Impressionism, Impressionist, Ingram, landscape, Liz, Mary, Monet, ocean, pastels, seascape, Sennelier, soft pastel
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Forest Park

marylizingramart —  February 9, 2011 — Leave a comment


Forest Park, 10×10 Soft Pastel

Despite living in Alabama, where we may see a bit of snow each year, we have had an abnormally snowy winter. Because schools, roads and businesses close on snow days here in the South, we have had plenty of extra opportunities to rest, to stay home with our families, to enjoy warm fires and watching the snow fall. I usually find these late winter months deflating, entering “the winter blues” around early February, but this year the icy air, the bleak skies and the gray hours seem more restful than usual. Patient.

On a recent trip to St. Louis, where we saw snow on the ground for the whole 9 hours, I took a photo of a frozen river in Forest Park. The simplicity of the scene and the colors in Monet’s Snow at Argenteuil inspired this rendition of the landscape as it rests in the long patience of winter.

In Alabama, Art, Birmingham, frozen, ice, Ingram, landscape, Liz, Mary, Monet, pastels, river, Sennelier, snow, soft pastel, St. Louis, winter
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