Red Tulips and Dancing Clouds…

The Tulips and the Dancing Clouds

Artist:       Claude Chapdelaine

Title:        Red Tulips and Dancing Clouds

Year:        2014

Size:         24"x 48"x1" canvas

Medium:  Acrylic and Latex

Price:       $ 0
Status:     Sold to private collector

I am very pleased with the final results of this painting, especially on how my tulips and clouds looked once completed.  This was the longest canvas I ever painted on and it was a bit daunting as to how I chose to use the surface space.

Wind Blown Flowers and Stormy Skies

Wind Blown Flowers and Stormy Skies

Artist:       Claude Chapdelaine
Title:        Wind Blown Flowers and Stormy Skies
Year:        2014
Medium:  Acrylic
Size:         40"x36"canvas
Price:       TBD

I started this painting a little more than five years ago, a little bit at a time.   I had to put it aside a few times as I just couldn't seem to move forward.  I had put in a dark blue angry sky as the background and a sorry looking bunch of flowers at the bottom being walloped by heavy winds.  The motivation to finish it was lacking.

My motivation changed after having spent the last two weeks October 2013 in Paris France. I went there on my own with the objective of visiting as many museums and art galleries as possible (specially the Louvre, Quai D'Orsay and the Pompidou).  Once inside, I spent quite a bit of time looking closely at many of the fine works of art (paintings and sculptures) trying to see and understand the techniques the masters used to bring alive their works.  The two week experience gave me quite a confidence boost.

When I got back home, I worked of smaller paintings before I decided to tackle this unfinished piece again.  This time there were no inner battles of the mind or a conflicted muse.  The imagery that needed to be put to canvas came together quite naturally.  I loved the way I felt when I was painting the leaves of grass, or the colourful movement in the sky.  I felt I made a serious breakthrough in expressing my vision through art.   

The Journey's of One's Life or L'homme naturel

The Journey's of One's Life or L'homme naturel

I was in my early twenties when I created this indian ink drawing 8"x11".  I consider it my "master" piece or master plan as it represents the journeys that I must embark on from conception to death. 

I originally called "The Life Spans of Man""L'homme naturel".  The french title did not convey the meaning of what I sought to achieve.  This is an ink drawing that contains many esoteric and spiritual symbols that resonated with me when I was in my twenties attending college.  The life spans that I feel I've lived (metaphorically) are depicted by the folds in the figure's head turban. 

I had to have been inspired by the many readings that I did and the dreams that had that particular year.  This drawing still represents today the road I was to travel - from the day of my conception, birth, the people I met along the way and with whom I travelled and left at different crossroads, to the decisions that brought joy and grief.  Many of the lessons I did not understand in my youth, I am understanding them today. 

The central figure represents the fire and knowledge that motivates the spirit.  The face represent the Higher Power, the Guru, the Guardian Angel, Teacher/Master, Holy Man, the priest, the Spiritual Guide, or the Shaman.  If you turn the drawing clockwise, you will see the cloak turn into a landscape where the sun shines behind a aboriginal totem pole.