acrylic painting

Wearable Art

| Anna Cull

What do you do with a painting that just isn’t working? Well, I don’t know about you, but I have cut one into little pieces and turned them into brooches : )

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I had been working on this particular painting on and off for months and had completely lost interest in it. Admittedly, cutting the first piece out of the canvas was a bit emotional… but after that, it was surprisingly therapeutic. There were lots of ‘bits’ of the painting that I did like — so I cut those out first and then looked for other sections that could be reworked as brooch-sized paintings later. The first of my Wearable Art Brooches are now available from my Etsy shop.

I put my scarf collection to good use in styling the photos.

And let me tell you, those embroidered ‘AC’ signatures on the felt backs are really fiddly ~ why, oh why, did I decide that was a good idea?!

Bilocation

| Anna Cull
Bilocation — acrylic on canvas, 150 x 150 mm, 2018

Have you ever wished you could be in two places at the same time? This quirky little abstract was inspired by one of my six-word stories: “Bilocation would be a useful skill.”

The Gathering Storm

| Anna Cull
The Gathering Storm — acrylic on canvas, 150 x 150 mm, 2018. Available.

A few days ago I mentioned that I’d written more than 90 six-word stories in the last two months (no small effort). ‘The Gathering Storm is the first painting to be inspired by one of those stories: “The gathering storm strengthened their resolve.”

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Here Comes the Sun

| Anna Cull
Here Comes the Sun — acrylic on canvas, 305 x 305 mm, 2018

So… I’m starting to get experimental with paint again : ) This quirky abstract was inspired by one of the digital collages I created on Polyvore.

Most days I veer wildly between two extremes, from being certain that I am on the right path creating art and building up my portfolio… to being certain that I am, in fact, not. Some days I don’t get out much and that doesn’t help either.

I have spent quite a lot of time over the last 18 months making digital collages in a social, encouraging environment online (the now defunct Polyvore website). I stepped away from the “business” side of art and immersed myself again purely in the process.  I learned to create in different ways, and it really sparked my imagination. I started getting bolder, discovered new motivations and perspectives, and it was brilliant fun.

Many people were shocked when Polyvore was shut down without warning. We lost the ability to make art in a particularly supportive yet challenging environment, we lost the ability to contact the friends we’d made, and it left a huge hole in our lives. But it hasn’t been all bad. When Polyvore’s new owners pulled the plug on the website, yes, it was horrible, but it was also my chance to get away from the computer and start painting in the “real” world again.

Another factor that comes into play here is that I recently started a year-long project writing six-word stories. I’ve already written more than 90 stories/poems in two months and I’m now thinking that quite a few of them would make really good painting titles.

Yes, here comes the sun! 🌧⛅☀

This is me

| Anna Cull

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Two art shows have come and gone. This is me with my paintings at the Pegasus Bay Art Show on opening night… and a fun night it was too. I made a grand total of zero sales, which made me sad, but, hey, the worst day in the best job in the world is still better than the best day in a job you don’t enjoy, right?!

I wallowed in my disappointment for a couple of days (damn you, expectations!) and now I’m back to my factory preset optimism. But I am running out of room to store all these paintings… So if you would like to help me reclaim some space in the art cave, there is 25% off the price of all paintings in my Etsy shop from now until the end of the month.

Onward.

All I can be is me — whoever that is

| Anna Cull
Wild Clouds – acrylic on canvas, 200 x 610 mm, 2017

“All I can be is me — whoever that is.” Bob Dylan

Another painting; another journey. ‘Wild Clouds’ incorporates quite a few of my favourite things: mountains, clouds, light, texture, the familiar and the abstract. It won’t appeal to everyone. That’s okay. My husband diplomatically says “it’s not my taste” and that’s okay too. Hey, I’m not quite sure I like it. But then I leave the room and come back and think, mmmm, yes, it really is okay. It changes with the light. It shifts and doesn’t stay still. I love the colours and the shape of the clouds. It is playful. It is dramatic. And, at the end of the day, it is finished.

I used an almost identical palette to that of ‘The Heart of a Rose’ with the addition of a shimmery gold for the sunset. The red was mixed into the pinks, purples, and greys. I originally intended the sky to be quite golden and more like the reference photograph (see below) but it didn’t look right. It was too happy, too sunny for winter.The golden light looks wonderful in the photo… but then the snow in the photo isn’t blue. Changes were made, layers were added (a lot of lovely layers), and now it is done.

Wild Clouds – detail
Wild Clouds – side detail
Alpine Sunset, 2013, photo reference
Wild Clouds – in situ