Welcome to the first March edition of Etspiration Thursday! Our first artist of the month is Imaginestudio, a brilliant artist who creates photo montages, digital collages, and painted photographs. Not only is she incredibly skilled at what she does, but the amount of emotion and feeling she puts into her pieces is astounding. I literally felt the photographs as I looked at them. The hypnotizing faces drew me in, the gorgeous colors and shapes melding together to form a a total experience in every sense of the word. Her descriptions only emphasize this reaction, as she explains that each item is made to represent a time in your life; if you feel a connection with the piece, there is a reason you are looking at it. (all images copyrighted to the artist)
"Jeune Femme Avec Fleurs" - You might recognize this from the front page of Etsy; I was so happy to see it there. This is, for me, representative of most of her work. Ethereal, romantic, soft, but with a hint of steel behind those eyes. All of her female figures are supple and beautiful, but have a defence in their eyes that is created through her use of color. The eyes in this, with their ice blue hue, contribute to that sense of personality. I also love how she brings the pattern from her clothing into the background. It creates the sense that the girl is fading away, and only intensifies her expression. The eye is naturally drawn towards her lighter face.
"When Starlight Meets Daylight" - I adore this picture. Anything with a dichotomy between two opposing forces is interesting. She creates such a beautiful, open meeting between the worlds of light and dark, and she accomplishes this with her masterful use of color and shadow. The dusky reds at the bottom set off the cool blues at the top, and the hand over one eye reiterates the theme. The branches of the trees look like veins spreading across the face. And if you look close, you'll see patterns in the shades of color...that's what I love about her pieces - the closer you look, the more you see. She uses many subtle textures, colors and shapes to create an overall effect, much like one of those pictures made up of thousands of little ones.
Her titles also add a new dimension to the pieces as well - this one brings home the theme that might otherwise have been lost, and gives a deeper emotional connection to the piece. I don't think that everyone can get away with fanciful titles, but hers are to the point and have meaning.
"Danse de la vie" - The movement in this piece is wonderful. The full, natural feeling, as though you are the one dancing. The out thrown arm, the curve of the back, and the swirls coming off the figure all accentuate the movement. Beyond that, the color takes it to a new level. Adding the roses on the figure is the perfect touch. It keeps the picture simple, which is its key aspect. Too many "touches" and the piece would loose the simplicity of raw emotion. Ebullient joy, a releasing of spirit, a loosen of bonds. All of this conveyed through a simple convergence of color and shape.
She does beautiful traditional vintage works as well. This is titled "Modern Vintage Woman", an apt title. What caught my eye on this was, aside from the doleful stare of the woman, the blocking of colors. She is so good at mixing the cool and warm colors so they don't compete but compliment. Here the orange and yellow over top the cooler colors gives a dimension to the piece that would have been lacking. She made certain to keep the face clear, as that is the focal point. I noticed that, like in many of her pictures, half of the face is covered. i like this aspect; each one of us has a hidden part of ourselves, something we don't like or don't want to share with the world. (I might be reading too much into this, but that is what she invites us to do!).
"Woman with Feather" - The monochrome color tint to this is fantastic. She leaves just enough color for the figures to appear about to breath, rather than overworking it to the point that they become dolls. The peacock feather's colors are gorgeous, and I love how she brought it down into the green of her dress. I think that also might be feather behind, but I can't tell. Again, the moods that she creates in her pictures are unbelievable. This woman isn't even looking at us but you can feel her, like she might turn to the side and stare right at you any moment with a slightly hauty, aloof gaze.
I have nothing to say about "The Haunting of Jeanne D'Arc" besides BRILLIANT. The textures in the background would drown out any other figure besides this one. Her skin is pearlescent, her personality slicing through the page. Again, the title amplifies the effect. It makes you change your mind on what the figure is thinking, how she is feeling. This is a picture that will evolve as you do, her expression seeming to change whenever your emotional state changes. The headdress textures are beautiful, and as always she makes sure to keep her focal point clear and bright.
Imaginestudio's profile will only make you fall in love with her work even more. She truly pours her heart and soul into each and every work. It is rare that an artist can capture the essence of an emotion, and even rarer that they can convey it through their work and into someone else's being. But Imaginestudio does just that, in an unpretentious, modest manner. Her descriptions are the same for each piece because the motivation behind each is the same; someone, somewhere, feels this and relates to it.
Isn't that the essence of art? To communicate with others an emotional state that we feel at a certain time? Whether it be a deeply philosophical idea or a superficial love of beauty, it is an expression of ourselves. We show our inner thoughts to the world through art. Imaginestudio does just this, and I hope that all of you will feel an emotional connection with her pieces. Her shop is always open and she has plenty of items!
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