Those Wild Air Balloons

Painting by Niya Christine. Copyright

#90/365 Paintings

Final painting for the month of March. I had so much fun with this theme. It started by thinking about kite flying near the Golden Gate bridge some years back in March. And then the flowers started blooming in my front yard. Lavender and a few wild flowers. Thus, March became all about flowers and fabric (kites, hot air balloons, billowy dresses). Fun, fun, fun!

Happy Easter!

A little of this, a little of that…

Shop. Niya Christine. Copyright

#87/365 Paintings

And this is what it might look like from inside the forest of flowers. I sort of want to tickle the tummy of the elephant on the right.

Project notes: These are my first experiences with collage. This past week has been full of experimentation (in the spirit of spring). I love it.

……

It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.
—Rainer Maria Rilke

Flower Forest & Sweet Elephant

Painting by Niya Christine. Copyright

#86/365 Paintings

I like this elephant’s life. She saunters from beautiful vista to beautiful vista. Even flower forests look after her. Of course it takes really tall flower trees to protect such an elephant of girth, long tusks and charm.

Project notes: This is a collage of a couple paintings in the recycle pile. The elephant was an incomplete painting. And, remember the decorative flowers—the textured large sunflower, etc.? The roses never made it. But I do love them much more now in their reincarnation. In fact, I’m delighted by what collage produces. The paintings in the recycle pile have new meaning now.

Balloons Flying Off with Kitchen + Coffee Bean Characters

Painting by Niya Christine. Copyright

#85/365 Paintings

Apparently, I’m obsessed with hot air balloons going off with things: Houses, teapots, coffee beans, old vintage stoves and coffee bean characters amongst other things. It reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend about moving for an opportunity in another city. I loved my home. I wanted to hitch my house it up to a powerful flying machine and simply move it from one town/city to the other. Flying houses. I hope it can happen in the future.

Project notes: How this digital/watercolor collage came to pass. I was cleaning this weekend and found a painting (see image below) I began last fall for a book in progress (some of you will recognize the bean characters from previous paintings). The painting was unfinished because at the time I was trying to achieve some effects that only now I can achieve from all this painting practice and Carla Sonheim inspirations and techniques. I finished up the painting today. I took a good long look at it and decided I want an old stove like this in the future. Flying houses. Voila! The image above is a vintage stock image with parts of the watercolor below. Those beans!

Watercolor by Niya Christine. Copyright

Original Watercolor of Stove

Perhaps the earth can teach us

As when everything seems dead

And later proves to be alive.

—Pablo Neruda