Deep Dive

 I thought this would be a great opportunity to do a Deep Dive into a painting I recently finished.  I wanted to create a piece of art and a time capsule of  the things that currently occupied my mind during the process.

Number One: The Macdonald Sisters. Margaret and Frances Macdonald were two Scottish sisters who were instrumental in the early days of the Glasgow School of Art. They make for a very interesting read.  There are many aspects of their process  I admire,  but I especially liked the painting on raised details.  By using QoR watercolor ground on panel, I already had an interesting texture.  I next wanted to take it to the next level in their style when they painted jewels and curves.  There was more originally, but I brought it back to what you see pictured below.  After all… I only wanted a "nod" not a copy. 

Detail by Rachel Jones

Number Two: Vincent van Gogh letters.  I love handwritten letters. I still keep boxes of them from days gone by.  There is a purity in them that doesn't always happen in a text or email.  If you ever have a chance to read the letters between Vincent and Theo,  you'll see what I mean. In reading them recently,  I fell upon the quote "... There is a power within me and I do what I can to bring it out and free it." That hit home on many levels and it inspired much with the mood in this work.  Not only is Power Within the title,  I also included lines of the quote within the painting.

Detail by Rachel Jones

Number Three: The painting HOPE by George Frederic Watts. I've always loved this painting.  I have several copies around my home.  No matter how many times I have seen it,  I still search it out when in London and spend a few moments before it.   So much of my art is about hope, I thought it was necessary in this piece for me to pay homage to it. 

Detail by Rachel Jones

All paintings are a sort of time capsule.  I was just more intentional in the process with this one and wanted to take you all on the journey.  

POWER WITHIN
Watercolor/Ink/ Silver Leaf on panel 20” X 16”
by Rachel Jones 


Thanks for reading.  -rachel


Comments

  1. DeannaNovember 27, 2025 at 4:23 PM

    That was very interesting! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

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