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valkeaLevels

Published: 2008-04-20 09:03:03 +0000 UTC; Views: 3246; Favourites: 136; Downloads: 35
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Description oil on hard board. 60 x 70 cm

This is what happened to the plan of making my own interpretation of Renaissance type of Madonna and Child painting, people who have been looking at my journal and sketches may have noticed me mention (see: [link] ). Madonna got swallowed by a bunch of people and abstract shapes.

I started work on this last May, and there must be something like 20-30 layers of paint at places. Might be more. Seriously.

Some people at the group commented that this resembles stuff by Samuli Heimonen ([link] ). They didn't mean it in a bad way, but it turned out to be something I was very sensitive to, and made me angst about the painting for a few weeks.
(Samuli is brilliant, and definitely one of the premier painters in Finland right now, but he didn't develop in a vacuum either, and has mentioned that he owes technique-wise a lot for instance to Pasi Tammi [link] [link] , and taken for instance the motif of people inside glass bubbles from Paavo Paunu, who was also teaching at Orivesi in 2005)

Surely, it's allowed to take influence? I should probably drop the group of people motif entirely... as that kind of was influence from him, I have tried to take it into a different direction.

Anyway, despairing over the Madonna painting, and the I didn't wanna be a copycat of Samuli Heimonen stage add up to an unusually large amount of angst and pulling teeth, so what you see here was not quick and effortless. But I like it in the end. You get very rich colours with multiple layers.
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Comments: 28

SharonLeggDigitalArt [2011-10-31 19:08:37 +0000 UTC]

Featured [link]

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Intergrativeone [2010-10-15 13:51:48 +0000 UTC]

wonderful! So very painterly!

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ilex9 [2008-05-01 01:08:35 +0000 UTC]

I love the story of the development of this. Nice finish.

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valkea In reply to ilex9 [2008-05-11 19:34:26 +0000 UTC]

Thanks From my end of things it was a very frustrating development process, but I'm glad if it's entertaining to read.

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ilex9 In reply to valkea [2008-05-13 22:27:02 +0000 UTC]

The development process can definately be frustrating - I'm still being frustrated with my own.

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tresses [2008-04-30 02:02:21 +0000 UTC]

It's good work. Don't worry about influences.

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valkea In reply to tresses [2008-05-11 19:38:43 +0000 UTC]

Thanks

Guess I shouldn't, but I can't help it.

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mightybearrr [2008-04-30 01:01:12 +0000 UTC]

wow i never knew other people were skeptical about having a style similar to somebody's else

fabulous job by way; the layering is phenomenal

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valkea In reply to mightybearrr [2008-05-11 19:38:53 +0000 UTC]

Thanks a lot

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InFairyTaleShifts [2008-04-29 21:12:48 +0000 UTC]

Your layer work is inspiring, I love how each layer is engulfed by the other layers. You paint beautifully, the energy in this piece is great.

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valkea In reply to InFairyTaleShifts [2008-05-11 19:39:08 +0000 UTC]

Thanks a lot

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rabiya-aysu [2008-04-29 17:57:38 +0000 UTC]

i love the surreality of this.
the face at the top corner is the best effect, really brings out the other figures in the middle. amazing piece...

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valkea In reply to rabiya-aysu [2008-05-11 19:39:44 +0000 UTC]

Thanks a lot What does the face remind you of, if I may ask?

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rabiya-aysu In reply to valkea [2008-05-11 20:48:49 +0000 UTC]

hmm... to tell you the truth, it does not remind me of anything or anyone specific. however, the painting seems to be overall symbolic and meaningful.
did you mean for it to resemble something?

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valkea In reply to rabiya-aysu [2008-05-12 09:54:57 +0000 UTC]

Well, it's loosely based on baby Jesus in Leonardo da Vinci's Virgin on the rocks, and was earlier meant to be part of a Madonna and child composition.

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cateatingbanana [2008-04-29 13:31:03 +0000 UTC]

wow its relli good

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valkea In reply to cateatingbanana [2008-05-11 19:40:52 +0000 UTC]

Cheers

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ArtisticCreations [2008-04-29 11:51:09 +0000 UTC]

There's some amazing levels on there for sure. It's an awesome presentation

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valkea In reply to ArtisticCreations [2008-05-11 19:41:14 +0000 UTC]

Thanks a lot

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marcioyaguiu [2008-04-29 11:08:33 +0000 UTC]

great....is impresionism?

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valkea In reply to marcioyaguiu [2008-05-11 19:43:42 +0000 UTC]

Thanks

Impressionism? Well, I used to take a lot of influence from impressionism, but then had a phase of getting interest in stuff that is older than that (Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt etc). These days, I've been trying to make my expression freer again, and people occasionally say that it resembles impressionism, so I guess it might. But it's not something I'm intentionally aiming at.

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Wytherwing [2008-04-29 09:53:30 +0000 UTC]

congrats on your DD for this very beautiful and fascinating artwork!

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valkea In reply to Wytherwing [2008-05-11 19:43:51 +0000 UTC]

Thanks a lot

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circe-albatus-perite [2008-04-29 08:46:12 +0000 UTC]

Amazing...it possesses a unique quality of beauty..and the colors and layerings are lovely.

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valkea In reply to circe-albatus-perite [2008-05-11 19:43:59 +0000 UTC]

Thanks a lot

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felixxkatt [2008-04-22 03:51:38 +0000 UTC]

it has a nice strangeness to it, it definitely makes you wonder what it's about. though i didn't get a "virgin mary" feeling, i can see a churchlike feeling!

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valkea In reply to felixxkatt [2008-05-11 19:48:58 +0000 UTC]

Thanks The gothic/romansque church-like shapes are intentional

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chris10belgium [2008-04-20 14:42:12 +0000 UTC]

Also beautiful !

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