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WHAT'S YOUR BLUE? 19
Christine Onward talking about symbols of the blue colour in rock painting
Colours allow artists to express their ideas and reveal their inner self. For every rock painter colours not only evoke a certain mood, elicit a certain response from the viewers, but also work subliminally to create and send a particular message.
But what are the messages, moods, and inner responses elicited by the blue colour in rock painting?
BLUE art on rocks by Christine Onward. For sale HERE
Today’s article presents a number of different approaches to the use of blue in rock painting. Rocks were selected from the approximately 200 painted rocks posted by the artists of RockStreet Collective to honour our most recent BLUE rock event.
Why do we use the BLUE colour when we paint on rocks?
*BLUE is used to suggest INNOCENCE and elicit CALM
Naïve art on rocks by artists Sussi Louise Smith | Pamela Campbell | Christine Onward
*With BLUE you can create sensations of FREEDOM and EXPANSIVENESS
Ocean theme in rock painting, different approaches by artists Kishan Patel | Leilani Holverson | Susanne Jensen
*BLUE is a universally soothing colour. Many artists embrace a blue palette to elicit CALM and MINDFULNESS
Mandala world in BLUE by artists Rachel Mitchell | Debby Hurst | Elena Marisol Gomez
*Beauty of nature and its fantastic livings are often represented with the use of BLUE
A world of BLUE birds by artists Judy Smith | Aberline Attwood | 陳 泳澖 |
*Light BLUE is associated with TRANQUILITY and HEALING
Soft BLUES to heal the soul- by artists Yvette Biedermann | Pascale Chevalier | Ralph Macias |
*You may use blue when creating art for those young at heart to elicit SINCERITY and HAPPY MOODS
Joyful art for the child in us by artists Christel de Laroche | Alex Jade | Danijela Milosevic
*BLUE invites you to MELANCHOLY and RECOLLECTION
BLUE dot art in rock painting by artists Lisa Orlans | Emily Clark | Sandra Silva |
*Oriental cultures have used BLUE to express PIETY and STRENGTH
The exotic world of the BLUE rocks by artists Yuk-moy Tan Tapia | Megan Wilhite | Shruti Rachael David |
*Use BLUE to suggest PURITY and CONFIDENCE
The wonderful realm of wearable art on rocks by artists Lysa Mignot | Annalisa Cacciatore | Valeria Avossa |
*All these symbols often intermingle to create calm and purity. If you want to join the art world of healing the mind and body, you can start by using BLUE
Fantastic decorative art on rocks by artists Jessica Pederson Stumpf | Misty Day | Diana Lamb |
In art, colours have endless meanings and significance which translates into rock painting. If you remember, a few weeks ago we looked at some examples of RED symbolism in rock painting. See article HERE.
If interested to be a part of our world rock painting family, you are most welcome to post your creations in our group RockStreet Collective. The BLUE rock event is still happening until the 21st of July when the winning artist (featured on our Instagram account) will be invited to an exclusive interview on this website.
More artful blue rocks for sale Here
I will conclude my short description of uses of BLUE in rock painting here. The most amazing creation I wanted to introduce to you to celebrate the BLUE rock event is that of 5 year old Zarya, Elena Marisol Gomez's little daughter. I’m sure you’ll love her blue ocean, the sky with white clouds, the green beach, and the tomato bush in the corner.
Here ends RockStreet Collectives's BLUE rock showcase. I hope you had a peaceful BLUE holiday to the eyes :)
The beautiful BLUE rock of Zarya
PAGES OF REFLECTION – what it takes to become an ARTIST (LESSON 1) 105
Dear reader, wherever you may be, whatever language you speak, whichever stage in life you are, I hope you are an admirer of art.
This is because I plan to make the next few blog articles into a reflective journal about my experience of living and creating art. And as inconsistent as I am in general, I am pretty confident that this time I can give my stories continuity and meaningfulness not just for me, but for you too.
Today's LESSON 1
How do you grow into a reputable artist without any expertise or previous experience?
This is a question that keeps on bothering me every time I find yet another successful artist on Instagram. It looks as if every great artist of our days has some sort of previous art-related education, hours and hours of guided advice, work with a purpose, and of course, the TALENT.
For instance, check on wonderful Yvette Coppersmith:
-Archibald Prize, 2018
-studied at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Australia.
-more than 21 years of experimenting with styles and subjects
-painting self-portraits since the age of 17
Painting by Australian artist Yvette Coppersmith, winner of the Archibald Prize 2018
How does MY art journey ever come close to such a glorious artist?
I bet you too keep on ruminating about the same thing as me: Maybe it’s not even worth it. Maybe it’s yet another waste of time…
But this morning I finished painting this:
"After the Dark", by Christine Onward (all rights reserved). For sale HERE
Right through the open blinds a few sun rays started coming in. I watched them dancing merrily on the colours of the painting. That whole world, right there in the paper, was coming to life right in front of me… I was witnessing a miracle.
I had created a world that was a reflection of myself. Somewhere in this world someone like me will find themselves in this story, as much as I did. Maybe more in my painting than in other people’s paintings. Maybe I get to make them smile. And that’s the best accomplishment I can achieve.
My lesson for today is this:
Every story you create has you in it, your adventures, your memories, your sadness, your heart. Someone will surely connect with it. If not today, they will surely show up tomorrow.
The more stories there are, the more people will connect with your art. Just keep on creating. Reward will come.
Loving these stories? Here is a beautiful story from my childhood : Surreal Night in Transylvania
More outstanding products from my latest surreal paintings are HERE
Stories of the Outback : Living Life in Own Sacred Ways 36
Every journey to the outback I had so far was a new discovery. I am not talking about the discovery of new (extraordinary!) places only. I am talking about discovering new lessons of life, the lessons you carry with you throughout life, think of them, use them, and, at meaningful times, share them with others.
This year’s outback discovery was meeting people who chose to live their lives on their own terms; people who chose to live as if other’s rules of living did not exist but their own. Out of all other ways people chose to live, their own was sacred.
It’s a wonderful lesson to learn: regardless of the rules of life others obey to, the one you choose for yourself is sacred and is worth standing for.
Memorable travels in outback Australia: road from Bourke to Wanaaring (right before the sunset)
TALKING ABOUT M.
Meeting M. was a moment long sought for. We had tried to call her a few times, unsuccessfully though. A couple of times we had had driven to her farm. She was not there. The gates were locked.
But every try was worth it as we discovered when we met M. the first time.
AT THE GOONERY
Entrance to the Goonery farm (under clear blue skies)
Reaching M’s house was quite an adventure, as recent rains made access to the barracks really tricky.
A hundred metres drive from the gate and we turn a sharp left. A large muddy pond spreads in front of us right from the middle of the road. At the other end of the pond a white car is bogged into the mud all the way up to the windows.
Rare occasions of flood in the area
We drive carefully on the edge of the muddy waters and continue on for a few hundred metres on bare dirt road. All around us there are old vehicles, rusty engines, metal scraps, and piles of useless wires.
I’m beginning to think of snakes hiding between all this strange gathering of disregarded stuff. Apart from snakes, rats also come to my mind. And that is terrifying.
As we get closer to the house, everything becomes even more cluttered. Old tanks, water pumps from old times, rusty trucks, 50 years old or more, make access to M.’s place even more trickier. In the distance I see animal paddocks, few horses running free, and a couple of dogs resting in the shade.
It is so quiet.
M.’s house is hidden behind a tall fence and wild vegetation.
As far as I can see, the house walls are scratched and torn; some of the windows are covered with plastic boards and rugs. It’s sad, painfully sad to watch all these.
We call M. out in lower after some careful thought. Who is this lady of the scraps and what she might look like?
She comes out quickly with a large smile on her face. She looks tall, taller than me at least, small built, with short grey hair.
Her clothes are old and torn. Grey patches cover the holes in her over sized jeans. The collar of a once yellow shirt is revealed and I can’t decide if it’s actually dirty or grey from too much use:
She had surgery. Then went to Dubbo to help a friend who was struggling with cancer.
I’m watching her talk quickly with large gestures and continuous smiles. Her happy demeanour is contagious and I begin to love her, despite previous concerns. I feel no pity for her, no sadness for this life she chose. I only love her because she is nothing but light and full-on positive energy. And she is humble and eager to help.
She is the master of what she chose to be.
THE PAINTING OF "QUEEN MAGG"
The memory of M. remained fresh in my mind for many weeks. I didn’t know what to do with what I had seen at the Goonery. I didn’t know if it was sadness, or bravery, or illness what I had seen. All these were with me, tearing me apart, until I decided to paint M., to give her a new life, a life on my own terms.
I cut through the bare scene of red empty sands and placed inside a merry garden of flowers, as M. deserves. Between such flowers I gave life to a new M., to “Queen Magg”.
I threw the torn grey clothes away and gave her a magical dress painted in joyful patterns and happy colours. As for the eyes, the tired empty eyes I met at the Goonery, I wanted to give them life too. I wanted them to shine, to share hope, and share love. I wanted her to be remembered as she deserves: as a queen.
"Queen Magg", painting by Christine Onward. Description and other details are Here
Disclaimer: none of the photos used in this article belong to the Goonery (except for the entrance at the farm). The name of the described character was hidden to protect her privacy. Apart from that, the story is real and presented through my own lenses. If you feel you need to know more, please send an email on rock_street@yahoo.com.
Short video about the painting is uploaded on: https://www.instagram.com/christine.onward/?hl=en
