Paint Your Dreams

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.

Pablo Picasso

"Paint Your Dreams" (12 x 12 inch oil on gallery wrapped canvas) is my submission to The Second Floor Studios Art Invitational.  Artists were given three different photos of the same subject to choose from:

I chose the first photo, and liked the idea that the boy was literally painting his shadow; flipping the orientation of the photo seemed to heighten the sense of that.  I also chose to change the color of his shorts in order to make him pop out a bit more.  You can see here that I have the shadow shape blocked in.

At this point, I began to think of how children use their imagination to act out their unfettered dreams of life's possibilities, and how their personal talents and dreams are carried within their hearts wherever they go, a part of them as natural and necessary as their shadow.  Picasso's quote came to mind and I envisioned this child painting his dreams and imaginings.

I tried the concept out using Photoshop to work out the general idea. I put in a take off of Van Gogh's Starry, Starry Night".

And then I just went for it and created the painting (top of page).  Do you think that the finished piece communicates what I had in mind? Visit The Second Floor Studios on First Friday to see it and other artists' interpretations of the same subject.