"Awakening Spring" (Art Print Study)

Close up of a section of work

Two weeks ago, I posted my struggles with my decision to color in my black and white drawing, my version of an early Harry Clark print; then deciding I didn’t like it. I originally thought I was committed to coloring in the entire thing. I decided to leave that corner alone for the time being and concentrate on getting the rest of it finished in the black marker. This took another three or four days, finishing that up that portion around 1:00 a.m. But there was still the little problem with that glittery corner. The whole thing was nagging at me. I tend to be one of those pesky “problem-solvers” and sometimes I’m like the proverbial dog with the bone.

Ever come up with a solution at the most inopportune time? I wanted to get started on “fixing” the piece, now that I thought I had figured out how to have this turn out like I wanted. I remembered that acetone nail polish remover will take off marker. One am is not the time to start working with acetones, so thought it best to wait until morning. I don’t know about other creative people, but there is always a sense that if you don’t get the idea down and solidify it into material being, it will dissipate into thin air. I know I have written poems or short stories in my head while out walking, and of course by the time I get home, the idea is gone! Forcing the mind to try and recall something as ethereal as a poem just doesn’t seem to work.

Luckily the acetone remover worked to take off the glitter and metallic marker and with just a dab of titanium white acrylic paint, that area of canvas was almost as good as new, ready for the re-do. I was pretty happy with the result, although I think my next Art Nouveau projects will be smaller.While not technical, it is labor-intensive. I wonder at the intricacy and minute detailing of earlier Art Nouveau pieces. Amazing!

While this piece isn’t a total original, it is my take on it.  I liked it better with some of the back detail taken out, as it left it more open. Obviously a masterpiece can never really be recreated by another but one of the best ways for an artist to improve their craft is to study other artist’s works. This is one of those studies.

I would call this "Awakening Spring."

The original was from an unnamed print by Harry Clarke who was born in Dublin on March 17, 1889 and died on January 6, 1931. He created hundreds of commissioned  stained glass windows and book illustrations for works such as Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson and Charles Perrault’s Fairy Tales of Perrault. 

Source: Grafton, C.B. (1994). Treasury of Art Nouveau  Design and Ornament. A Pictorial Archive of 577 Illustrations. Dover Publications. NY. (copyright free image)

I hope you like my version of this print-Namaste-Mariehelena.