Feeling blue

I finished my painting! Yes! The last layers were a real struggle, but I'm finally happy with it :-)

I'm in love with the colours in this painting. I used really strong contrasting colours and I love how they look together. Just seeing the colours makes me happy.

I call the painting "Feeling blue". Because all the time I was working on it I was feeling kinda blue. The perfect word to describe it is in fact "Weltschmerz". It's a German word and means something like a feeling of deep sadness and melancholia because of the state of the world. All brought on by everything that's happening worldwide, the uncertainty of the future, the destruction of our planet, the cruelty against the most defenseless creatures, the madness and hate of people in power, the stupidity and ignorance of too many people. Need I go on?

Maybe that's why I needed these colours. Maybe struggling to finish this painting helped, or maybe it's  because there are signs that people are starting to wake up, to realize that hatred and extremism isn't the answer to all that we are dealing with in this world, but I'm feeling better. I'm feeling a little bit more hopeful for the future. Thanks to Austria, the Netherlands and France. Three countries in Europe where people didn't let themselves be fooled by the cries and hatred of the far right populists, and the attempts of the Russians to interfere. Well done!

So, if you're up to it, I'll lead you through the different stages of this painting. Be warned: there are a lot of pictures! If you just want to see the finished painting, scroll down to the end of this post :-)

Here goes ....

I started out with warm colours, put on the canvas with a roller

added cooler colours until there was no more white :-)

adding collage

adding stamps and stencils and spraying with my inks

 drips and sprays

adding some white

 and black for contrast

 some more dripping and putting on colours

and then I started looking for figures, and found three!

 decided the faces were too big so I made them smaller

 working on the figures, finding two more birds

 first time stuck. Couldn't find any more figures, had no idea how to proceed

decided to add some hills and trees, but it looked too peaceful to me and I didn't feel peaceful ....

  so I got rid of the hills. What now ... ?

 I liked the flowing of their hair, so I decided to go with long flowing lines all the way to the top

added some strange-looking flowers 

 I liked the blue, but it was a bit too dark for my liking

decided I needed to change the colours a bit, because everything started looking the same

I liked how the lighter blue looked when painted over the white background, so I added white in all the places I wanted to use this bright blue

 hmmm, no, not happy ...

 lightening it up again, and finding that the space in between the blues on the top looks a lot like a bird ... That's a happy find :-)

something's missing but I don't know what. Somehow the bright blue feels too overwhelming. This is where I was last week.

I try to add some patterns, but I don't like it. Then I add more darker blue. Feeling better about it already. Then I tone the patterns down, add some more details and tadaa! Finished!

"Feeling blue"- mixed media on box-canvas - 1m x 1m (39,4"x 39,4")

Congrats if you've made it this far :-)  I'm linking this to Paint Party Friday, as usual, and I'll finish (as if this post isn't long enough yet) with a few funnies. Here they are!

The more serious ones...

And to end this achingly beautiful picture with a text from Tyler Knott Gregson. I love his poetry, and the piece he wrote for this photo grabbed me by the throat ...

I found the rest of you there, the bit you left behind, and I want you to know how beautiful you were. Even on the street, the crowded noisy street where thousands of feet walked by you without stopping to appreciate, you carried grace. I know you carry it still and I will find you, again, and celebrate your new form while you still have it. Know that I see you, know that I love you, know that in all that noise and hustle, I stopped to say goodbye.

Tyler Knott Gregson

Thanks for your visit! Hope your coming days will be filled with warmth and hope ♥ ♥ ♥