Lego Sculptures at Downtown Disney Part II + Mermaid with Clownfish WIP...

I saw these sculptures at the Lego store when I went to visit the Wonderland Gallery at Downtown Disney, I didn't take any pictures at the gallery because I wasn't sure if it was allowed or not; but, when I saw these Lego pieces at the Lego store, I was thrilled.  I took too many photos to post all at one time, so I posted a Part I here last week.  I hope you will enjoy them, it's a little different from what usually inspires me, but I thought they were fun!  

Aladdin, Jasmine, and Genie

Aladdin, Jasmine, and Genie

Aladdin, Jasmine, and Genie

Toy Story, Woody and Buzz Lightyear

Toy Story, Woody and Buzz Lightyear

Background to the Toy Story Sculpture

Background to the Toy Story Sculpture, Close Up 

It looks a bit like Impressionist art...

A Wizard

I am linking this post with Inspire Me Monday
http://www.create-with-joy.com/

I've been working on my mermaid with clownfish painting.  In this work in progress view, I've added some more layers to the fish and completed the black accents of the first fish.  After I do all of the black for all of the clownfish, I will probably go back in and work with the fish a little more, but they are coming along...

Lego Sculptures at Downtown Disney Part I + My Practice Canvas...

I saw these sculptures at the Lego store when I went to visit the Wonderland Gallery at Downtown Disney, I didn't take any pictures at the gallery because I wasn't sure if it was allowed or not; but, when I saw these Lego pieces at the Lego store, I was thrilled.  I took too many photos to post all at one time, so there will be a Part II probably next week.  I hope you will enjoy them, it's a little different from what usually inspires me, but I thought they were fun!

Men Made of Men

Men Made of Men Close Up

Beauty (Belle) and the Beast

Lumière, a Candelabra and Cogsworth, a Clock

The Beast

Giant Dragon Fighting a Knight on a Horse

My Lovely Mother with the Hulk

A Friendlier Dragon Peeking Out From a Wall of Product

I am linking this post with Inspire Me Monday
http://www.create-with-joy.com/

I've been headache plagued so I haven't made any progress on my mermaid painting yet.  This canvas is my practice canvas.  I use it to try different things out.  Before I put seaweed on my seahorses painting, I painted a portion of the canvas the color I used for the ocean and tested the colors I wanted to use for the seaweed here.  I also tested two different types of texture mediums I bought to see which one would work best for my painting rose immersion.  I plan on finding my gesso (where that has absconded to I'm not really sure at the moment) and blocking in some white to do some test skin tones before I use them on the mermaid painting.  It's presently pretty covered with color because I hate wasting paint and I enjoy smishing it around and seeing what transpires.  It was also definitely long past time to start a new palette...

Edgar Degas: Bodies in Motion at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena Part I

On July 6th, I attended a talk at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena on movement in the work of Edgar Degas.  After the talk, I took photographs of the pieces highlighted in the talk and I am sharing them here.  This is part one of two posts that I will make on the topic.

Edgar Degas, Horse with Head Lowered & Horse and Jockey & Prancing Horse

While Edgar Degas is best known for his paintings and pastels, he also made many wax sculptures.  During his lifetime, only one of his sculptures was exhibited.  Later, others were cast into bronze.  Norton Simon purchased the master models that are currently on display at the Norton Simon.

Edgar Degas, Horse with Head Lowered & Horse and Jockey & Prancing Horse

Edgar Degas was a frequent visitor to the race track and felt that the motion of horses could not be captured by painting alone.  Eadweard Muybridge, a photographer whose works showed some of the earliest documentation of horses in motion with not even a hoof touching the ground, was a great source of inspiration to Degas.  

Edgar Degas, Horse Clearing an Obstacle & Horse Galloping on Right Foot

In some of the models of the horses, you may see places where the wire was not covered and areas where the wax was pinched on.  It's my opinion that these weren't intended for display and were created purely for the love of art.  

Edgar Degas, Dancer Ready to Dance, the Right Foot Forward

Some of his sculptures are more polished and finished than others, like the sculpture of Dancer Ready to Dance.  However, they all have a sense of movement, implied or inherent to the piece.

Edgar Degas, Dancers in Pink

When Degas created Dancers in Pink, he had been working in pastels for twenty years.  They are caught in a moment of motion on the stage.  Pierre-Auguste Renoir included this piece in the background of a portrait of the owner's daughters.

Edgar Degas, Dancer Adjusting Her Shoulder Strap & Arabesque Over the Right Leg, Left Arm in Line & Arabesque Over the Right Leg, Right Hand Near the Ground

The Arabesque sculptures and Dancer Adjusting Her Shoulder Strap sculptures captured moments in time.   His sculptures tended to be small, but they had a huge impact.  Looking at them, I feel like I could almost be there in that moment.

This concludes part one of my two part series inspired by the talk I attended, I hope you enjoyed it!

Also, please stop by and comment here to enter to win a free print of my art!

I'm a little late, but I am linking this with Inspire Me Monday and Magical Monday.