Inspiration:

The idea for this painting was to show contempt in a non-threatening, beautiful way. What better than a beautiful female image! I did not want to insult, but to show a rebellious contempt with the hands, so I used the horns where the birds would usually be. The tongue also reinforces the contempt in a non threatening way, once again without using the eyes. This is a painting of Olivia Rodrigo. Image produced by Tsuruda Studio.

What role does art play in your life?

Art is very important in my life. It is both a hobby and a career. I am always trying to improve and experiment with ideas and techniques and that is what inspires me.

Artist statement:

I believe that a lot of emotion can be displayed through the eyes. So to challenge my personal growth as an artist, I am doing a series of paintings that display emotional states without the use of the eyes. Each painting in this series will display an emotional state with the eyes closed and will include one or both hands in the image.

I will also be adding other techniques to these paintings. I use a lot of dry brush techniques and will be using a lot of wet-on-wet and watercolor techniques with the slow drying acrylics. I am excited to show the first two of this series. Thank you!