Lunge to the Side

Lunge to the Side is 11" by 14" watercolour on paper mounted onto a cradle back panel. The wood sides are left unpainted and sealed with a clear varnish.

 My goal with this piece was to explore into using a more diverse pallet for skin tones as well as achieving an overall feeling of peace and concentration. Stretching is meditative for dancers and gives you time to connect with your body before you really start moving.

 My inspirational reference photo was from the impressive collection of Chris Peddicord. His dance photography is full of passion and grace and I look forward to using more of his photos for reference in the future. Be sure to check his site out!

This painting is now for sale on Etsy.

Look for the Sun

'Look for the Sun' is the first in my new dance series. I have spent the past 6 months experimenting and playing with watercolours and I am finally ready to release this work to the world. While I am always working on my figurative and colour work my big qualm regarding this project was how to mount my drawings. I am not a fan of framing and putting my work behind glass like classical watercolours. I decided to put my art into the mixed media category by adhering it to a wood cradle board and finishing it off with an archival gloss varnish.

This painting can be purchased on Etsy through this link:
Look to the Sun

Dance Sketch 16

Some people think ballet class is boring. Ballet is filled with small seemingly unimportant exercises, but one of the beautiful things about ballet is that every little exercise counts. The work you do at the barre shows up on stage as much as the most difficult allegro (jumps.) Like many things in life every moment counts towards making you the best you can be. The process involves some blood, sweat and tears but if you work hard the end result is always rewarding. Give plies the credit they deserve and make them count every single time!

This painting is available as a print at my Etsy shop!

Dance Sketch 15

Each day I dance I dance for me,

Nothing else makes my soul so free.

From the day I learned to pointe my toe with care

To the last jump that sends me soaring through air.

A second of perfection; hold that pose.

The joy in my soul no one knows.

Inhale the magic and exhale the bliss,

Pure moments of dance I will not miss.

-Rachelle

Dance Sketch 14

   

When I venture to the dance studio each week I think about all the things that contribute to the magic of dance and how to pass it on to the next generation of dancers. As a ballet teacher it is easy to get stuck on the technical aspects of dance and forget about the essence and overall feeling that each step can imply. Sometimes a simple reach or roll on the floor can be equally as powerful as some of the most difficult steps.

Dance sketch 14 is about those simple moments.

 One arm, one reach, one moment of beauty! 

Prints of this sketch are available in my etsy shop!

Ribbons in the Wind

Given the sudden change in weather from blissful sun filled days to grey dreary weeks of rain I thought I would paint something to brighten our days.

Visit my Etsy shop if you would like to purchase prints of this painting!

When The Sky Falls

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams"  - Elanore Roosevelt

 

Some days my dreams seem impossible. My lofty ideas of  my ideal life melt into a soup of despair leaving me feeling helplessly sad. The feeling eventually passes but the memory of it reminds me to be grateful that I live a life full of dreams... some of which have become my reality. When the sky falls I now sit back and wait for my new dreams to be revealed.

When The Sky Falls (16" by 20" watercolour and india ink) is based off of Dance Sketch 11

Dance Sketch 12

An Ode to Dance.

While the summer months are full of adventure and sunny relaxation they also serve as a break from the dance studio. While at first this break seems blissful after about four days I start to crave plies and deep stretches.

This sketch is my ode to the fiery passion that dancing ignites within me.

On My Hands

This painting is based off a photo of Graham Kaplan who is a very talented dancer currently training with Arts Umbrella in Vancouver, BC. It was created using watercolour paint and India ink pens. 
I recently went through a period of stagnant creativity. It happens from time to time and generally leaves me feeling frustrated and generally uninspired. This particular photo reference kicked me back into my creative mode and got my artistic juices flowing again. 
I like that this particular moment is casual but the pose is refined and gives insight into the studio atmosphere of a dancers training. This is the first in a series of studio poses I will be doing. While dancers are known for their few moments on stage the real magic happens in the studio and it is my goal to depict the hard work and dedication that every dancer exhibits there.

This painting is availible for purchase at:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/105666339/on-my-hands

Dance Sketch 11

Dance Sketch 11 

I actually like this sketch. I enjoy the selective colour and the paint dripping down onto her dress as well as the various tangents of meaning that it has for me. I feel like I could write a full artist statement on this but I will save it for the finished version as this is merely a practice sketch.

Dance sketch #5

Dance #5 is inspired by the dancing of Ashley Sweett and talented photographer Patou Lauwers. This drawing was created using graphite, pen and water colour paint. I played with the pleats in the dress giving this drawing more movement.

This is the second sketch in this series based on Patou Lauwer's photography. Checkout the first sketch in this series!

Dance Sketch #8

Much like the dance world my sketchbook has very few male dancers in it. I truly love the defined muscle tone of  male dancers and enjoy both watching and drawing them in action. Perhaps one day I will inspire some young boys to go take a dance class!
 I decided to document my process for Dance sketch #8. I started out with a detailed pencil drawing of the dancer and then began to plan out the background. I painted it in with water colours and then outlined and accented the illustration in pen. 

Dance Sketch 7

This drawing was created using pencil, pen and water colour paint. Since summer has yet to visit the west coast I thought I would put her in a bright flower garden.

Dance 6

This Sketchbook entry plays with warm colours to compliment the dancers skin tones and scarf. I really love this particular pose however I had to alter her feet a little because her right foot was sickling and her left was barely pointed (if you are a dancer you understand my passion for pointed feet). Feet are something I need to spend some more time on so expect to see some fantastically arched ones in the near future!

Dance #4 sketch

I recently experienced a period of time where I lost my creative vision. I woke up one morning and found my art to be void of meaning and depth. I have experienced this artists block many times before but I really hate how it makes me feel. I have decided to refocus on dance art (which was where I started when I first began to take my art seriously) using this blog to document my progress. I want to create passionate work with depth and movement and experiment with different combinations of mixed media.
Dance #4 is inspired by the dancing of Ashley Sweett and talented photographer Patou Lauwers. This drawing was created using graphite, pen and water colour paint.The background was inspired by the draping of her dress and hopefully creates a sense of fluid movement giving this somewhat static pose a sense of life and vibrancy.
This is the first sketch in this series based on Patou Lauwer's photography.

Ballet in Blue

I am always fascinated by an artist's sketchbook. Each individual has such a unique creative process and I thoroughly enjoy immersing myself in the artists mind.

For me the sketchbook is a place to try out ideas and concepts and play with the composition of a potential painting. Throughout this blog I will be sharing my sketchbook process and inspiration behind my art. 

Dance #3 is a pencil, pen and water colour composition. I was experimenting with paint and drips and luckily the paper in my sketchbook is thick enough to allow me to do this without ruining the next ten pages.

Feel free to comment and share as I love to hear from my audience!