'May The Force Be With You'
10" x 14" watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold pressed paper
This is number three in the Work of Childhood series
One benefit of being a mom to three boys and having a very manly husband too is that my house is usually filled with very. . . 'boy-type' things. Like super heroes, action figures, Nerf gun battles, lightsaber fights, things like that.
Maybe some moms would not see that as a bonus. But me? Well, I was the kid who loved He-Man just as much as She-ra and got up early on Saturday mornings to watch the latest X-men cartoon.
There, I've done it. I've suppressed my inner dork long enough and can hide it no longer! Confession: I have a thing for super heroes. Cool gadgets, tricked out cars and hovercrafts, mutant powers (speaking of which, the new X-men movie, First Class is completely AWESOME!). I love em all.
And when the last Star Wars movie came out I was the one who had to talk my husband into going to see it.
Don't look at me like that. I mean, come on, it was the making of Darth Vader! Epic coolness!
But I digress. This painting was the result of a sunlight filled morning and my middle child playing with his lightsaber and wearing a hoodie. He looked like a Jedi (or a Sith, but let's hope not!) in training and I thought it would make a great addition to my Work of Childhood series.
Imagination. Can't get much better than that for childhood work now can you?
Have a great day everyone and. . . may the force be with you! :)
Huzzah!
Wonderful one, Crystal. You have a wealth of material at your fingertips to paint from. Enjoy them while they are young and as they grow you will be amazed at what they can do. My children are in their 30's and never cease to amaze me.
ReplyDeleteI love it! I was always a big SW fan.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic portrait! The colors simply glow, and everything is just perfect about it. It so perfectly captures the essence of being a child without being...."childish".
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work!
[I am also a fan of SW and other "hero" themed shows and movies - Batman, Spiderman, etc.]
Love the saturated colors. the paintings you are doing are simply wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI love super heroes too. In my day it was Hopalong Cassidy, Tom Mix, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Tex Ritter, etc., lol.
Fantastic Crystal, captured and feeling the little Jedi :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!
Beautiful series you have going. I love this piece. I have to confess to being a Star Wars, Star Trek and super heros fan big time. I collect all the movies and watch them often. I Can't wait to go see Green Lantern this week. By the way, my youngest grandchild turns 20 tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteCrystal, what a wonderful story! I must admit, I love superheroes, too. Yay, geeks! And you KNOW the painting is perfect!
ReplyDeleteTerrific painting, really captures the essence of a little boy lost in his own world. The balance of that glowing orange is great. I love the moments you capture in your kids lives. They must love that you paint them all of the time:)
ReplyDeleteUne très jolie oeuvre, remplie d'amour de souvenir et d'émotion...
ReplyDeletebisous
Crystal how I love your work of your boys... what I found strange though was that on my post this a.m. Art Hearts Place I put the words in about 'The Force' is not with me today.. Are we connected in spirit??? LOL ! BJ
ReplyDeleteThe wet in wet for the pants must have taken a lot of courage. But it is so great that you did it.. Just did what you felt was great and it is indeed great.. And that reflected light from the bench is awesome. Of course the balancing of colors.. This is just perfect..
ReplyDeletewhat an incredible series this is going to be! this is outstanding as usual! the strong red and subtle blues scream super hero and you have a wealth of reference in every corner of the house. brilliant!
ReplyDeletei have a thing for action figures. there i've said it. thank you for giving me the courage to admit it!
Your work is AWESOME and awe inspring. I'm so glad you discovered me so I could discover you!! I have a little boy and I've been tempted to use him as inspiration, but so afraid I wouldn't be able to capture him and really do him justice. I love ALL your stuff!! :) (Sorry to gush)
ReplyDeleteHi Crystal - WONDERFUL painting. You capture the light so well. Admission time: when it comes to the 4th May each year my son and I (he is 29 btw)always manage to say "may the forth be with you" ! sad yes, but fun:)
ReplyDeleteAwesome on every level!
ReplyDeleteCrystal this is wonderful as always! You never seem to paint anything other than amazing pictures! I love the way the red is reflecting on to the back of his hoodie :0)
ReplyDeleteMy daughter left home over year ago now. Being a girly girl, some times I tire (just a little) of 'boy talk' and miss having a girl around, so the other day I talked my son in to letting me curl his hair for fun! Bless his heart because he actually let me do it, even though there is nothing girly about him at all, lol! :0)
Like everybody else, I love it. The colors and lighting are amazing. I would bet it gives anyone that looks at it a smile. It makes me really excited for my baby boy to get bigger and play with boy stuff!
ReplyDeleteAhh, the light, the colors, and the mood :) You captured the Jedi (definitely he is a Jedi!) perfectly! This series reminds me of the one by Carol Carter of her son.
ReplyDelete*fierce* Jedi Knight! Adorable...I love it :D
ReplyDeleteWow Crystal, Your work is beautiful and glowing. I love how you capture your subjects in a moment in time.
ReplyDeleteFabulous! Love the LIGHT!!!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely gorgeous painting, or as Yoda would say, "Inspired I am!".
ReplyDeleteWow, you have some amazing watercolour skills! Just look at all those beautiful colours and highlights, you've really captured the essence of the moment in this!
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful! Love the play of reds on his face and on the back of the jacket. Just wonderful! (I already said that!)
ReplyDeleteI love your blog! Thanks for commenting on mine. I am adding your blog to my list of favorites on my site. Also, your children series is wonderful and I am a full on SW fan, I have to admit reading all the SW books. This painting is wonderful for the color and emotional connection to the subject!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a stunning piece, your son almost seems illuminated by the sword...absolutely top class.
ReplyDeleteI just love the art inspired by your children. Your paintings are so Norman Rockwellish...Did I meantion I love Norman Rockwell? :-)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful portrait, Crystal! You'll have handsome models for many years!! Isn't it wonderful.? Love the light hitting him! beautifully painted, once again.
ReplyDeleteCrystal, it is obvious the force is with you both! Thank you for sharing another wonderful moment of childhood. And, I may have missed the change-over but the painting in your banner is breath-taking.
ReplyDeleteThis piece reminds me of my now 26 year old son! He still has the toys, but they're a bit bigger/different now!
ReplyDeleteFantastic painting! I like sci-fi and superhero's too!
ReplyDeleteI love the concentration of this boy with his lightsaber!. Watercolor is fantastic, Crystal, as usual. I can not stop looking at it. Congrats!
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