Band of Gold- Commission process….

Ive started a commission for a lady, and she asked if this piece could be inspired/influenced/reflect one of her blog entries, ‘Band of Gold’. When I first read it, and about her, I was felt like I could have been energetically reading myself. We are very alike in many ways… naturally this has helped the whole process along beautifully. Im letting you all into a part of my process that I havent detailed in words before, because there are many relevant aspects to this painting and it gives you an insight as to my process, thought and intuitive feeling pattern. So Im including the blog entry for those who wish to read it,  and an explanation of what I have painted so far. Bearing in mind, there are only the bones of the painting there at the moment, the white is merely the outlines of my colouring/detailing to come…altho some white will stay, Ill know that once I start ‘filling in’ my piece some more.
Here is her blog:

Band of Gold.

“There is no better feeling than knowing that where you are, is where you are supposed to be. I have had many moments through out my life when I have truly known that at that moment I was right on track. One of those moments happened while I was working on a sailboat named “Pentoga”, a little harbor 54, down in the islands. The name Pentoga is the name of an indian chiefs wife, from the Ojibwa tribe.

The captain and myself were sailing the owner and his wife from St Martin to the British Virgin Islands. We went through the the Anegada Passage from St Martin to Virgin Gorda. Now if we were going the other way it would be called the Oh-My Godda Passage due to the way the currents converge in that area with wind and swells it can be very nasty if you have to go the other way.

Luckily for the owners sake it was a smooth sail as the wind and seas were following. It truly made for an awesome sail. We were sailing at night and the captain and I took three hour watches. It was a crystal clear night, not a cloud in the sky. It will go down as one of the more memorable sails for me. It was the night I married myself to the sea.

I was up on deck on my watch, sometime in the middle of the night. The warmth of the night air and salt water on my skin felt so comforting. I was listening to the rush of water on the hull of the boat as the wind and waves were pushing us through the sea with ease. There was so much beauty and so much power, the feeling was unforgettable. At the time I was wearing a gold wedding band that my mother gave to me from her first marriage.

While that marriage didn’t last I knew in my heart that gold band could be used to represent something bigger than a failed marriage. To me the sea represents freedom, life, love and adventure. It is all knowing and powerful. It can carry you along in its loving embrace or it can pick you up and flick you across its body for miles like the little speck that you are. I love what it represents and I want the sea to always be a part of who I am.

So on this magical night I sat up on the deck of this sailboat in the middle of the Caribbean and married myself to the sea. I used the gold band as an offering and made promise to always respect, love and honor what the sea is to me. In turn it will always take care of me, even in the worst of storms I will always be protected.

Ive only told a few people about this moment, until now. I share it with you because its a part of who I am. Not everyone understands that to throw a gold ring in the sea means more than the value of the ring itself. Just like a marriage its about the pact, the promise to honor and respect that one that you made the pact with. I find my peace in the salt water and feel like its a part of me forever.

There are no words to describe the comfort it brings me to be in its embrace, no matter what part of the world I am in. It will most probably be my most profound love in this life. So as I am now so far away from where I made this pact, I find myself dreaming about this moment and planning my way back to my comfortable place. The home in my heart I call the sea.”


The painting so far:
Okay so the sun/moon, can be either. Moon representing the night on the boat. The sun representing Leo – her star sign, ruled by the sun -and the colours of Leo. The nautical feel of the sacred geometry around it again representing being at sea and just the whole connection to the cosmos universe etc…. and then we have the wave or the boat. Predominately a wave /sea of course, or It can also represent a boat as well, the bow of the boat rising up on a wave. Bottom centre-left sweeping up you will see the symbol for the feminine, (my client), lying on back going upwards left into the symbol for Leo wrapped in what will be a band of gold, and the ring encompassing the wave, so they are intertwined for ever. It will be a very subtle soft yellow, almost opaque in places, not a predominant bright band of bright yellow.
All the other symbols and patterns are just what I have intuitively drawn on for the feel of the whole painting. As I said, loads of colour and detailing to do yet, this is just the start.

Band of Gold

©Reina Cottier Art.

thanks all, have a great day!
if you want to catch up with more if what im doing on a daily basis, its all happening over on ym FB art page,
youll fond the link in the column on the right there, at the top. 🙂

Sacred Geometry

A little while ago i had an intense desire to incorporate some sacred geometry into my pieces.
whilst I didnt want a perfect symmetrical statement, I did want the feel/energy of it to come thru.
Combining this feeling with my style, these 2 pieces emerged,

both sold. 🙂

Starburst 2 1000 sig

©Reina Cottier Art

Starburst 1000 sig

©Reina Cottier Art

super happy with the results and this is just the beginning….
I feel many more with this underlying theme running thru it.

latest work in progress…

April 10

©Reina Cottier Art 2015

this is a bit of something different from me.
mixed media for a start, decided to use some stuff i havent touched for a while so dragged out my old stencils, some spray enamel paints and some pastels.
Ive been reasonably ‘disciplined’ the last few months with the Mercury Bay Art Escape studio tour,
but now that that is over,
I  let myself just do what ever i wanted with no plan or thought, no agenda, nothing.
First of all a bright coloured background with all my favourite tones and shades,,,
and incredible urge, probably carrying on from my scared geometry pieces, to draw some circles, random placing, didnt matter as long as it felt ‘right’ when i looked at it….. then some stencils with spray paint….

Ive been working on it on and off for a few weeks now, and ONLY picking it up when i feel like i really want to do something on it, not because i need to, have to or because there is nothing else.
SO its had a dedicated purpose, its been unfocussed focus.

Sometimes i spend 2 hours on it, sometimes 5 mins and Ive had enough.
Its big, about 40″ x 36″, and i know, i do my best work on ‘big’. (not REALLY big tho…yikes, i had a commission the size of a dining room table once, it was like a workout everytime i worked on it, phew! lol!)

anyway… i dont know how close to ‘finished’ i am, might be tomorrow, might be in 6 months… will keep you posted. 🙂

find me on FB, im there and happy to chat…..
http://www.facebook.com/reinacottierart
or email:

reinacottier@gmail.com

XXXX

Merging new and old

This month has been soooo busy, and we are only 2/3 of the way through.
Well, my shades of white series has morphed into a combo of lots of different styles,

Im revisiting the old, the VERY old, the just last year and the new with technique, style & how I am painting at the moment.
Also, quietly noticing how bored I am becoming with my creations, no sooner have I started a piece,  i am over it…..

….Its not that I dislike it, quite the opposite in fact, I love it, but my rate of ideas, and creative output is too fast for my time allowance and physical speed of painting. No sooner have i come up with an idea, its not even born and im onto another, lol, not sure this is a good thing, but im just going with it for now, not giving it too much attention. 😉

So, first up is a series of 10″ x 10″ i did, this is a selection of them

collage10x10(c) Reina Cottier Art 2013

these proved very popular and 3 were sold before they were finished.

I also finished these 2 below, top one has sold:

July 9 (2)(c) Reina Cottier Art 2013

July 7(c) Reina Cottier Art 2013

This one had taken me a while, I started it in early May, unusually taking a long time on it, not sure why, but I am really pleased with how it turned it, and it sold about 15 mins after being posted up online:

Kiwi Sun Surf (c) Reina Cottier Art 2013

I found my balinese stamps whilst looking for something else one day, so had a little play

around with those in the background of these 2 paintings,

I really like the subtle detail they add to the painting, not ‘taking it over’ but just a little interest 🙂

July 16 (2)(c) Reina Cottier Art 2013

July 7 (2)(c) Reina Cottier Art 2013

Back soon with some pics of current artworks in the pipeline,
until then, take care,

x

Shades of White

well this series happened quite by ‘accident’ ….

I painted the background of #1 and then doodled a very fast design straight onto the canvas and painted the outline of it white, as I always do as a prep for the rest to come… the COLOUR, the signature ‘Reina colour’ 🙂 ……

I posted an ‘In Progress’ pic on my FB page and got an overwhelming response of: “its FAB as it is!!” … so, a new series was born…

this is the finished result of the first one:

#1 (18″ x 36″-for sale)
Shades of White #1(c) Reina Cottier Art 2013

#2 (20″ x 24″ Sold)

Shades of White #2(c) Reina Cottier Art 2013

and this one i started yesterday, still in progress: (SOLD)

Shades of White #3 in progress(C) Reina Cottier Art 2013

I feel like I have another few of these left inside me yet 🙂

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oh and in other news, my art is one of 52 artists featured in the wonderful e-book:

52 Prescriptions for Happiness- by Joe Dunn & Mali Apple.

Link here:
http://www.amazon.com/52-Prescriptions-Happiness-Inspiration-ebook/dp/B00CHU9PSO/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

this is the pic they used:
FINAL GAIA SPEAKS“Gaia Speaks”-by Reina Cottier
(c) Reina Cottier Art 2013

Cascading Dreams

hi all 🙂

Here is a new series I literally exploded with this last couple of weeks….

it all started with this love affair i have with orbs and/or bubbles and/or planets.

Of course, what evolved was way more than that, my signature ‘swirl’ or koru, made its obligatory appearance and my use of colour was completely in the moment… as is everything i do….

the background of the painting involves lots of water spraying and layering, then I add the design on the top, with colour and shading.

Cascading Dreams 1

(c) Reina Cottier Art 2013

(c) Reina Cottier Art 2013

(c) Reina Cottier Art

(c) Reina Cottier 2013

Sooo enjoying this series… and its not over yet, I feel like I have another few at least inside of me 🙂

~~~~~

Eclipse series :)

I decided to go back to some ‘Reina basics’ for a breather a few weeks ago and re visit some unfinished ideas rattling round the recess’s of my being….  I wanted/needed something simple , so on a whim, produced this:

(c) Reina Cottier Art 2012

It sold within 10 mins of posting it up, 🙂  so that was very pleasing indeed, …

I then got on a roll, and produced 2 more, calling it the ‘Eclipse Series’.

(c) Reina Cottier Art 2012

(c) Reina Cottier Art 2012

 Each peice took about half an hour to produce,  considering I am a ‘speed of light’ type of gal, these types of creations are immensely satisfying for me… of course, I then had to go back to some ‘fiddly work’ (Gemini moment), but thats ok,.. all Reina’s aspects must come out to play regularly.

I have some more pieces to post up, but running out of time here,…so another post later on this afternoon I think.

Ciao for now. x