Keeping Watch Through the Storm: Oil on 12″ x 16″ Panel

Keeping Watch Through the Storm: Oil on 12″ x 16″ Panel by artist V.W., 2021

This is a painting I began a couple of years ago. I did exhibit this at a few locations and decided to put it away in my personal collection. I liked how the textures came out as well as the movement of the water–there is so much going on! I was thinking of adding a boat or a ship in the distance and may still decide to this in the future. I have a couple of shows next year, so may decide to put this in one of them.

I wanted to challenge myself to paint more abstractly, but still remain representational. I also wanted to contrast beauty and chaos. In times like these, especially, I think it is always important to remember that things are constantly moving and shifting around us and not to get lost in the negative aspects of life or get caught up in the wave of politics and ideologies. There is beauty in accepting the impermanence of nature and our state of being, and there is freedom in letting go of our negative past, feelings, and thoughts. Although impermanence seems like a scary word, there is permanence and objectivity in ideas like beauty, which means that there is always a permanent light that can be found even in the midst of a storm.

I am currently in the process of painting another storm on canvas. This one will be slightly different. Will post the finished piece once completed.

See more: www.vanessawithun.com

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Keep Watch: Oil on 24″ x 24″ Wood Panel

Keep Watch: Oil on 24″ x 24″ Wood Panel, by V.W.

This is a painting a began about a year ago. I decided to put it away and sort of forgot about it until recently. I remember being unsure about it back then, but there were elements I really liked. I painted this from my imagination. Today, I decided to add some touches to it to bring out the contrast and color. I also used a different medium back then, so I don’t want to do too much to change the effect of the old medium which consisted of a special old masters blend. Wood panels have been one of my favorite surfaces, besides linen, to work on.

See more: www.vanessawithun.com

Underwater Garden: Oil on 16″ x 12″ Panel

Underwater Garden framed.jpg

I’m simply just drawn to water. As someone with a background in environmental science who lives near the coast, I appreciate coastal ecosystems and all the life and beauty it offers. This painting is special to me especially in a time when coral reef ecosystems are being threatened by the warming waters and increased CO2 emissions.

This painting is currently in Deep South Photopoint Gallery in Richmond Hill, GA for a juried art exhibition from June 28th until September 8th.

https://vanessawithun.com

Instagram: vanessawithun_studio

Underwater Oil Painting on 16″ x 12″ Panel

Under the Sea Website watermarked.jpg

This is my first time doing an underwater painting. I began by sketching out the landscape using burnt umber and safflower oil. This took me about three days to paint, but I could certainly keep going if I wanted to. I did not want to add too many details and like the flowy look of the painting.  I keep saying I am going to do a demo of my process soon and have had several requests to make one. I will do one for still-life and for a landscape. I am waiting for a replacement for my laptop which no longer works.

I did manage to record a few seconds of the final touches: