Sweet Marie

In my last post, I talked about making a portrait of my mom, inspired by the style of artist Henri Matisse.
This is what i have done so far.

What I'm learning is that it is difficult for someone as constrained as me to let loose and to be as uninhibited as a painter like Matisse. Also, I'm working on an image of someone dear to me, in cut paper no less, so that is a challenge too. 

I did the face over and over, from memory and from a few photos, trying to capture the sweetness of my mum, as well as her ladylike quality. After she died, a couple who knew her told me that they always referred to her as 'Sweet Marie' and I thought that was lovely. I included a pillow meant to look like needlepoint, which she did often, her rose pashmina shawl around her shoulders, and a long skirt such as she would wear occasionally. I plan to finish it with a few more items which represent her, a window in the background as is often seen in Matisse's work, and a few more prints and patterns.

I definitely need more loosening up, but it's a start!

Here's wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

Thanks for visiting!