Hannah 2

Hannah

Piece description from the artist

This piece is from my Seasons of Life Series. I wanted to capture how moments march into seasons and events, like staccato notes, announce a new era. Early on in this series I was reflecting on the ups and downs in my own life. I wanted to look at my whole timeline, not just the current stressor or heartache. Our lives are a beautiful mess, and I wanted to illustrate that through this series.

This particular painting is an abstract "portrait." Hannah drew out her timeline. She identified which colors held a specific meaning for her, like anger, growth, joy, and insecurity. She then plotted out what seasons of her life are represented by those colors.

I primarily paint on Aquabord, which is a sturdy clay surface. I drew lines on the Aquabord with masking fluid, in order to preserve the negative space. Once the masking fluid had dried, I began adding layers of watercolors at times even dumping the paint on. When you saturate the clay surface with watercolors, each wash dries at varying times, creating the movement in this piece. Once the final layer had dried, I removed the masking fluid and attached gold foil to areas of the painting.

I particularly appreciate how the gold foil catches the light in this piece. In the varnishing process, I purposefully allowed the gold to tarnish slightly, yet further conveying how often the imperfections add character and depth in our lives.

Other works by Lydia Wood

About Lydia Wood

Webster Groves, MO

Lydia Wood is an emerging artist in St. Louis, Missouri. Her abstract and figurative work are explorations of emotion inspired by chaos, joy, the mundane, and the heartache of life. Lydia considers art as a way to challenge stigma and spur conversation. Through her paintings, Lydia Wood wrestles with topics ranging from striving for significance to grief and contentment.

Her current work explores the challenges of balancing life as an artist, a mother, and a pediatric ER nurse. In her latest series, Seasons of Life, Lydia paints abstract “portraits” of an individual’s life. She illustrates how moments march into seasons and events, like staccato notes, announce a new era. This approach reveals how both setbacks and successes come together in a vibrant narrative.

Lydia has exhibited at the St. Louis Artists Guild and Erica Popp Studios + Gallery. While Lydia has taken select coursework in Fine Arts, she is largely self taught. Lydia has done various figurative and abstract commissions, and she particularly enjoys painting an individual’s or company’s story and vision.

See Lydia's portfolio here
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