djamilaknopf

a new painting and a slightly new direction

Added 2025-02-13 18:49:16 +0000 UTC

Hello friends!

I hope you're doing well! It's snowy here today—quite the opposite of the painting I just finished. Let me tell you a little about it.

The small paintings I shared recently have been so much fun and so motivating that I felt compelled to take on a more complex piece (it’s been a while!). This time, I approached it a little differently than usual. Normally, I aim for images that feel naturalistic and unplanned, as if they were captured from real life rather than carefully arranged. But for this piece, I wanted to embrace and emphasize its constructed nature. I straightened lines, enhanced right angles, and intentionally flattened the composition and value structure. I also placed the character in an unconventional spot.

For some reason, working this way gives me a new sense of freedom. In the past, I worried that I used characters in profile views too often, fearing they looked artificial and flat. But honestly? I like it. I love the slightly strange, dreamlike effect it creates. You might not consciously notice it, but to me, it makes all the difference—and that’s incredibly exciting!

I’m planning to experiment with patterns—like wallpaper—and incorporate more symmetry into my work. After painting so many natural environments, I’m really enjoying the challenge of creating more formal, structured compositions.

Here’s a version of the painting with properly cropped edges, though I have to admit, I do love the messiness.