Project from Helen Well's Workshop on 'Interesting Shapes'

As a participant in Sketchbook Revival 2023, each guest instructor provided a free gift to the people who took their session. Helen Wells was one of the instructors I studied with and she provided a short video workshop on 'Interesting Shapes'. Helen is an artist from England whose work I love for its originality, bold colors, and her detailed use of patterning/mark-making.

As a result, I've been working on a piece this week with Bristol Paper for the substrate and using Bic Intensity and Muji pen (both black) for outlining and detail work plus Sharpie and Posca pens for the color and non-black decorative elements.

What I like in this are the patterned portions intended for those areas to recede into the background; the pink dots (over the yellow) that echo a few of the green lines in the bottom; and the overall color choices.

What I get from this piece is the sense of giving oneself a warm self-hug. How this comes through for me is from the green and purple/dark blue triangular sections in the center (pointing in the opposite directions) -- looking like the arms folded around the body. That said, this was done without any intention as to theme and is completely abstract. So whatever is seen in it -- is serendipitous.

So, what do you see?

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