NEW series

I'm very excited about this new series, I am not going to say too much now but here are some pictures so far....

Self Portrait From A While Ago

Self portrait from a while ago - my native american heritage coming through! I was doing a lot of metal embellishment on canvas at the time as you can see here. Someone commented they thought I "look prettier in real life" than in this portrait 😂 Have to admit I disagree, this painting is a very close likeness - sure I didn't go for a glamorous pose but then self portraits (generally) aren't about making yourself look attractive but about depicting & expressing yourself, inside & out. Often the artist is the artist's best sitter as they know that face so well & they know everything that goes on inside. For the record, I can & I do create many flattering portraits, but that wasn't what this painting was about 😉

You can check out the full painting and more images on my website: www.bethlouella.com (portraiture - fine art).

#womanhood #feminism #heritage#history #ancestry #nativeamerican #african #kenyan #dreads #emotion#spiritual #faith #culture #multicultural#ethnicity #artist #selfportrait #fridakahlo #painting #portrait #portraiture #art #artblog #artblogger #nuture #familytree #genetics #dreadlocks

Progress Pictures of 'Mothers'

For those of you that like progress pictures...

View on Saatchi Art

Here is my new painting: ‘Mothers’, a self portrait (60 cm x 76 cm paint on canvas with photographs). 

I love the genre of self portraiture and the freedom of expression it brings. I painted the self portrait ‘Mothers’ because I wanted to explore the concept of heritage (physical, cultural, emotional, spiritual) and womanhood.  I have Native American heritage and am connected to Kenyan culture hence the hair style, choker style necklace and wrapped material. The necklace depicts my female family tree, showing the eyes of my mother, mother-in-law, grandmothers, great grandmothers…etc.  I focused on the females in my family tree because of the emphasis on womanhood and the influence mothers have. The pose is unusual; I chose to look at the viewer as if I were looking down to give the impression of strength and power.  I wanted to convey that my heritage and the women/mothers that are part of that heritage, empower me.

You can view this painting on Saatchi Art: http://bit.ly/2q23R5i

NEW work - Mountain

I am enjoying experimenting with a range of media. This piece is a self portrait exploring belonging, hopes and dreams. I often use gold and silver in my artwork and wanted to have a gold object as a focal point. I like to show elements of the 'unseen' in my artwork and have focused on the intangible; hopes and dreams. The belonging elements of the image link in with my Native American heritage and are subtly referenced.

Saatchi Art

Mountain 29.7 cm (w) x 42 cm (h) mixed media on paper

Lineage

Here is another recent painting. It is a self portrait (not a very flattering one, but then that is not what self portraits are about!).  It is called Lineage, the painting is about heritage, ancestry, what gets passed down to us and what shapes us.  My dreads look like tree branches so I created a 'family tree' / 'tree of life' with the layout of my hair.  The splashes of colour represent different elements being passed down, the things that impact / shape us and the results. The turquoise represents bitter sweet elements and the yellow represents positive elements, such as love, joy and faith. 

Lineage 61cm (w) x 91cm (h) paint on canvas 

View / buy prints on Saatchi

Portrait Painting

Portraits are my huge passion! I find a broad range of people inspiring and love the challenge of expressing the unseen.  Here are some of my more recent portraits... (you can view them at www.bethlouella.com and some on Saatchi Art www.saatchiart.com/bethlouella)

Koko 80cm (w) x 60cm (h) paint on canvas 

 Murunga  29cm (w) x 20.5cm (h) paint and ink on paper  

 Peter  46cm (w) x 61cm (h) paint on canvas

Retrospective Sisterhood  (Diptych) 120cm (w) x 80cm (h) paint on canvas with embellishment 

Self Portrait Gold  36cm (w) x 46cm (h) paint on canvas with embellishment

 Self Portrait Red  51cm (w) x 61cm (h) paint on canvas with embellishment

  Spiritual Boadicea I  61cm (w) x 91cm (h) paint on canvas with embellishment