Shadows & Reflections

JUNE 15 2011: (80 X 100 cm); ICE DRAGON & PHOENIX.

2011-09-25T15:37:00.003-06:00

Usually I just use acrylic paint on canvas, but like my Earth and Sky painting, this time I used some Gesso to build up some lovely texture... I love how it kind of controls the way the paint drips depending on which way you angle the canvas... Originally I wanted to call it AMINO ACID JUNGLE because it reminded me of two DNA strands ripping apart... , then ICE AND THE SUNRISE....

Some details:

Feb 27 2011: HARMONIOUS INCONGRUITY (80 X 100 cm)

2011-04-24T14:23:00.000-06:00

And some details of the painting:

JUL10, 2010: PERSONA; (16 X 20")

2010-07-12T19:06:00.006-06:00

1. pl. per·so·nas or per·so·nae A voice or character representing the speaker in a literary work.

2. personae The characters in a dramatic or literary work.

3. pl. personas The role that one assumes or displays in public or society; one's public image or personality, as distinguished from the inner self.

I think sometimes people, including myself, must feel like the mask is getting worn out and cracking... Some days more than others...

the left half/the right half

For an explanation of my art, please click here.

MAR 28 2010: THREE WISE ONES; (31 X 39")

2010-03-30T18:43:00.006-06:00

MAR 28 2010: THREE WISE ONES; (31 X 39")
This painting took me almost a year to complete... Not so much because I took a long time painting it, but because other things were going on... I kept hearing it everday calling to me, but I couldn't attend to the poor thing. I am so relieved I have completed it now..

Detail of the Three...

Another detail...

Detail: The Robin...

Detail: The Raven...

Detail: The Snowy Owl...
For an explanation about my art, please click here.

WHITEMARE; JULY 5 2009 -- Acrylic & Gesso, Canvas (20"X20")

2009-07-28T07:30:00.004-06:00

This is an image I have had in my mind for a long time. It reminds me of a constellation. The horse is an intelligent, powerful & graceful creature. A constellation is made of several points of light, high out of our reach. I always envisioned this horse as a sort of symbol of unconscious memory, capable of taking a soul or a mind into protection, out of reach of earthly dangers...

For an explanation about this art, click here.

Jul 31st 2008: DESCENT/ASCENT; Acrylic, Canvas (18X36")

2009-04-28T14:11:00.006-06:00

Most of the entire painting... It's really quite long!

Some details...

For an explanation about this art, click here.

Jan 24, 2009: LOTUSANGEL; Canvas & Acrylic (24X36")

2009-02-02T15:29:00.011-06:00

A union of the male/female energy. Physical or spiritual union, or a combination...

The details: If you look closely, you can see a blue/white shimmer around the images, and they appear to be floating in it in the darkness.

For an explanation about this art, click here.

Aug 28th, 2008 Ursa & Leo

2008-08-28T18:03:00.006-06:00

URSA & LEO: August 28th, 2008

Some details below:

URSA...

LEO...

The CENTRAL figure...

For an explanation about this art, click here.

Aug 9, 2008: Suffocation

2008-08-10T11:55:00.002-06:00

-- Aug 9, 2008: Suffocation
Details:

For an explanation about this art, click here.

Lupus Eclipse II: Night of the Wolves

2008-08-08T19:05:00.006-06:00

I made my Lupus Eclipse into a triptych: Aug 8, 2008...

above --- Lupus Eclipse: Night of the Wolves
-- Siren

above -- Lupus Eclipse

above -- Counting Sheep

For an explanation about this art, click here.

Struggling to Lose Control

2008-07-31T14:58:00.009-06:00

I'm enthusiastically struggling with my current painting right now. I'm off to the art supply store today to buy some gesso or similar substance to completely start over. lol I'm whole-heartedly going to attack that canvas... With a little more abandon this time.

I'm going to make my right arm hold the paint instead of the paintbrush. Righty has trouble listening to my wilder, freer me. Righty is too Tighty, Tidy, Controlled and Willful. I will be painting with my left hand. I can't say ol' Lefty listens as attentively, but she isn't as stubborn as Righty. I would have no choice but to be less accurate. Hopefully my Right hand won't get too mad and try to grab the brush back.

Right is right, but Left isn't wrong!
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I must say I am pleased with the results so far. I used a paint spatula, covered up the original painting... and I really like the texture. It already looks improved! Now I just have to wait for it to dry.... *sigh*
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I am done now... Well... Typically, I start with something in mind, but these days sometimes I have to stop before I am done. Because if I kept going I might overwork it. And it looks wonderful the way it is.

For now I call this Earth & Sky...
But I want to say something more....

But maybe the painting says enough...

Some details:

For an explanation about this art, click here.

Poll Results Jul 28, 2008

2008-07-28T15:51:00.003-06:00

The poll question was: How do these images affect you?
Keep in mind that some people chose more than one response:

25% said the images affected them emotionally

18% said they remembered seeing these or similar images in the past or recognize the images from somewhere else

54% said they felt an analytical response to the forms, line, colour, etc and medium

18% said they felt no reaction or response

Paintings

2008-06-16T10:33:00.011-06:00

May 26th, 2008 - ROD OF ASKLEPIOS II:

June 10th, 2008 - ROBIN SUN:

June 20, 2008 - LUPUS ECLIPSE:

July 8th, 2008 - BLESSING LIGHT & SHADOW

For an explanation about this art, click here.

A Journal Drawing Series

2008-06-16T10:18:00.006-06:00

Mar 17th - Apr 19th, 2008: Transformation

For an explanation about this art, click here.

Journal Drawings

2008-06-14T12:54:00.008-06:00

Nov 6, 2007 - The Shadow Reveals Itself:

Nov 9, 2007 - Struggle with the Shadow:

Nov 13, 2007 - Acceptance:

Dec 1-2, 2007 - Acceptance II:

Dec 17th, 2007 - Untitled:

Dec 20, 2007 - The Protector:

Jan 15-16, 2008 - Angels and Shadows:

Jan 23, 2008 - Protecting a Curse:

Jan 24, 2008 - I'll Be Good Forever If:

Feb 4-5, 2008 - Rod of Asklepios:

Feb 12, 2008 - Some Monsters Are Real:

Feb 14-15 Untitled:

Feb 18th 2008 - Untitled:

Feb 26, 2008 - Tiger Tiger Burning Bright:

Mar 13 08 - Shadows and Reflections:

March 7, 2008 - Absorbing the Nightmare

Mar 10/08 - Untitled:

Apr 20 08 - Potential:

April 24, 2008 - The Sisters: One Who Holds On; One Who Lets Go:

April 30, 2008 - Vision Wings:

May 5, 2008 - The Apple and the Raven:

May 13, 2008 - Untitled:

May 20, 2008 - Dream Dance of the Druids:

For an explanation about my art, click HERE.

Undated Images

2008-06-14T12:11:00.005-06:00

Waking Dream:

Winging It:

Blind Child Emerging:

Child Emerges from Tree:

Draco Mount:

Skimming the Silver LIning:

Various prints with the title of RATS:

Various prints with the title of Fragments of a Nightmare:

Star Wars Imagery: the link to your left will take you to a blog that documents my interpretations of several adventures my husband David or my friend Keith ran in our roleplaying (similar in style to Dungeons and Dragons). The style I used to portray our characters and the events of the roleplay was inspired by movie posters. Star Wars Roleplaying combined chance with our own decisions, and acting out our characters from the Star Wars Universe in scenarios provided by the Game Master (ie: Keith or David). It doesn't hold as much meaning for me now as it once did, but it was fun for me at the time.

For an explanation about my art click HERE.

An Explanation About My Art

2008-06-14T11:31:00.009-06:00

You don't get an explanation. I will leave the interpretation up to you. I will only say that the meaning in my art is deeply personal, and I am a very private person.

However, the least I suppose I could do is introduce myself. I have been drawing all my life. I was born in Camrose, Alberta but was raised in Regina, Saskatchewan. So, as my father fondly states, I was produced in Alberta, but refined in Saskatchewan. I grew up, for the most part, in Regina, found the love of my life online before it was fashionable, and moved down to Florida to live with the oranges and dolphins for a couple of years. Then we both moved back up to Canada because we know more people our own age up here... Oh, and medicare is free, people at the 7-11 greet you cheerfully with 'good morning,' and no one is hidden behind bullet-proof glass when you go to buy a bag of chips and fill up the gas tank. And when you go buy a bag of chips you will be happy to see, "Yes, Virginia, There ARE Ketchup Chips." Sibling-wise, I have a brother in Alberta and another who lives in BC, where my parents also moved in 2010. I work at a call centre which is the salvation and bane of my existence at the same time. My husband has a guitar business locally that he loves dearly. After working a long time for other people who don't give a damn about him, I'm very proud that he's come so far.

I love cartoons by Charles Schulz, Bill Watterson, Gary Larson, Darby Conley, Patrick McDonnell, Lynn Johnston, and locally Dakota McFadzean, to name a few. As far as my favourite visual artists go, I like Picasso, Van Gogh, Duchamp, Dali, but I also like some more local artists such as Fafard, O'Flanagan, Gorenko, Cowin and Perreault. I will say that I have a deep interest in psychology and the workings of the mind, which I confess does seem to sneak into my paintings more recently. I especially like Carl Jung, Victor Frankl and a few others. Even fancied the idea of becoming a psychologist, but for now, I think I will continue working in my art.

I have done everything from published cartoons (if you farm and read GrainNews, or shoot animals and read sporting magazines you may have seen my early attempts at single panel cartoons), to having my paintings or ink drawings displayed in a few art shows and galleries (until recently, nothing since high school). I got into my 'real' jobs. I've worked everywhere from community associations for the City of Regina childrens' art and summer programs, to greenhouses, to Extra Foods, to Shoppers Drug Mart, to subbing for various school divisions, to the infamous StarTek (if you like stress, you might enjoy working there) to my present job at Sasktel (I like this job the best, so far, thank you).

I suppose this is something worthy of mention: the first time I actually showed at the annual art exhibition at Buffalo Days (it's a fair, now called Queen City Ex) I somehow managed to get first prize at a local exhibition in the Youth Category and sell one of my pencil crayon drawings. I've also had a couple of other local showings, once or twice at the MacKenzie Art Gallery (at the old location on College and not it's current location on Albert Street in the TC Douglas Building). As a high school student, I even had a painting featured on a student bus pass (there was a competition to give young people some exposure: 12 students, one for each month of the year, had their art featured on the bus pass). For four glorious summers in a row, I spent two weeks at what was then the Saskatchewan Summer School of the Arts. I applied to get into the Fine Arts program at the U of R, and was accepted at the age of 17 into university. I was a bit too tender and green for the workload, and lacked motivation for the electives. I remember a few professors who were terrific (Cowin being one), but some profs and their attitudes really cut to my core. After two years I switched to and Arts Education (I completed one year, with a three year hiatus in between, then graduated after another three years), but decided after three years of substitute teaching, as well as some health issues, that this wasn't for me.

Long story short (I know, too late): I let a lot of stress and busy-work take over my life, and if it weren't for the encouragement and support of a few very important people in my life, I'd still be stressed out and busy instead of putting my foot down and getting back to my art. I was surprised at how much I need to do this activity. It's my oxygen. I can get a bit buggy if I don't get a chance to put my thoughts on paper or canvas.

But I still don't want to have to explain my art. It's not my attempt at being mysterious or eccentric. It's just too personal to go into. And besides, I would rather you come away with your own ideas, feelings and interpretation of my images. It is the same with reading that delicious book with insatiable gusto (something I love to do). You see the images and hear the character's voices in your mind and you imagine the scenes as they unfold: it rivets you. Now, if someone interprets the author's words into images and audio onto a movie screen, then your own digested ideas and thoughts are somehow squelched as your mind is flooded by this intrusion, however creative and exciting it is.

Imagine putting an imprint on your soul, and then someone coming along and washing your imprint away, replacing it with their own. Your very own impression will be barely visible underneath, or may completely disappear. Saturated and covered by this imposing meaning, where does your personal identification with the image go? Do you not find it nearly impossible to keep your original vision strong and clear?

Images can become Symbols. The intriguing thing is, somehow, images can strike a chord, albeit in different tones, to different people. When I begin to exhibit my Symbols and Images in a gallery space, I hope you come to visit and interpret. If not, I hope you enjoy them as they are presented here on this blog.

-Holly Freeman-

- A couple of things I do want to mention regarding the layout of this blog... Newest images are posted at the top; very old posts are available through the archived links on the right, or by hitting the 'older posts' link at the bottom; clicking on images will enlarge them. -