New Work Posted to My Website

So excited, I have finally photographed all 14 of my new paintings I have posted the majority of them on my website under the category "New Work". I will soon separate out a new section called "Series". I have had such a ride on the learning curve, what a thrill better than any ride at an amusement park!

Thanks to the professional photographers from National Geographic who visited Ghana Africa and captured the beautiful young women. Ghanian women show a rich abundance of pattern in tattoo's,hair patterns,jewelry and fabrics. Their skin tones are rich and lush,high cheekbones,fine features of north African peoples. These photo's of these young women captivated me , I painted one then another and another on and on. In total I have painted five to date. I was enticed by the patterns in their jewelry and fabric. When I was in Mexico, a friend of our family brought their toddler. She was almost two years old. A picture was taken of her as she was looking for her mommy. As soon as I saw the picture I knew I had to paint her. Her held out hands, turn & angle of her head, her little foot lifted as if she is stepping right out of the painting. Love it. I purposely slightly exaggerated her jesturing hands to emphasis the pose.

I have been exploring the use of colour, texture and space division in landscapes. Using an analgous palette with it's compliment. I painted in acrylics, but added texture with crackle glaze, gold leaf and a variety of  found materials. The three landscapes in this mini series are from local Niagara scenes, two from an area called "The Glen" one depicting the American side of the Glen and showing some of the gorge, the other of the Canadian side following the trail. The third is from an area called "Balls Falls". I took the photo a couple of summers ago as part of a presentation for a commission client. It had been a very hot summer and the water coming over the falls had dried up to all but a trickle and the river water was laying in still and quite in large pools.

The third series continues my exploration in texture and the subtractive method but this time with watercolour on canvas and using an expanded analgous palette and its compliment. Again I chose my favourite and used two landscapes from photos I took in Prince Edward County. One is from Sandbanks Provincial Park on Lake Ontario the other of farm buildings just north of Napanee, Ontario.

Not part of the series but an exploration on its own is a painting of Sandbanks Provincial Park,the same photo as the one I used in the aforementioned series, but this one is looking at the impact of grey scale.

You will also see in the next week a couple of florals one of Irises using watercolour & acrylic on canvas with texturing and the second one is a soft spring depiction of apple blossoms from a farm in Pelham.

Please check the paintings out at www.patriciahaftar.com  go to "New Work" lozenge.