Some projects from art class….

Been going to art classes  since February. It's been really great. I'm working on learning new techniques, discovering different painting style. Here are the last 2 studies I have worked on.

Hound Moon

I met this dog on a beach in Costa Rica years ago. He was absolutely beautiful.  

The Fox and the Raven

Fox

Cats

I love cats.. They make me laugh.. This first painting is a portrait of a cat that was living outside my apartment. Such a friendly fur ball.    The second painting is of a small cat named Marmi that I met in Dahab last year.   He really made a lasting impression on me.
The third drawing is of a cat the lives a few streets over.

Self Portrait

I think the drawing is self explanatory.   Sometimes the heart breaks so profoundly you feel like everyone can see it bleeding.

Goldfish

Sometimes you feel like your life is trapped in a glass bowl.. looking outward.. seeing the world go by while you are stuck on the inside.   Sometimes you swim like this with others, sometimes alone.

Fantasy Sea Horse

Delicate, graceful, with tiny icicle branches, crystalized eyes, beautiful, quiet, compassionate, covered in a dust of sparkling light. 

 

Sea Dragon

Octopus

Yes he's missing part of his 8th tentacle...  ;)

Barracuda

If you have ever been diving around Malta, you've probably at some point seen some Barracuda.
I have not, although I only have a total of 16 dives! Best I could do for now was to paint them.

Sea horse in the sunlight

 

Sea horses are my favorite sea creatures. They are magical looking, delicate,  and ethereal.

This one is basking in the sunlight.

Wrecks of Malta

I had not seen a shipwreck ever in my life until this past summer, here in Malta, while taking  freediving lessons.  The Um El Faroud was the first wreck I encountered while I  swam down to  about 16m deep, on a single breath of air.   There were plenty of fish everywhere and a large moray eel poked his head out of a pipe to greet me as I approached the top deck.  I felt as  though I was in another world.  There was a very strong silence down there, almost like a moment frozen in time.  There was nothing but me, the ship and all the marine creatures that live around this wreck. Not another human in site! It was as though a door to a new world opened before my eyes.  

Since then, I finished up my scuba diving course and had the opportunity to encounter a few other wrecks in Malta.  I say "encounter" because I feel that each wreck has its own entity, its own sphere of energy. Each wreck evokes a different sensation. I find wrecks are somewhat eerie, but fascinating and beautiful at the same time.

You and I on the Rozi

The Rozi

The Rozi, for instance, is a frequently visited wreck in Cirkewwa. I would describe it as having lots of energy.  It has plenty of fish and eels to visit and is quite stunning as a wreck itself.   I've gone diving there a few times, and every time has been wonderful. 

"Silence in Darkness"

The P29, although very close in distance to the Rozi, feels nothing like it. It is a much "heavier"wreck, almost solemn. Its top deck  is covered in algae, making it look tattered and eerie. There aren't as many fish here as the Rozi, but you can still see a decent amount.  There is a mounted machine gun on the front deck. Everyone likes to take a picture behind the gun. It's a good wreck to explore, and again, very beautiful but also dark in a way. There is a silence surrounding it and a feeling that the windows of the wreck are looking right at me.

The only other wreck I have been to other then the ones mentioned,  is the Tug 2 off of Exiles. I have yet to paint it, but I would interpret that wreck as being "light" in energy and fun. I have not seen many fish on this wreck, but I have found a lot of scribbles on the side of the boat, left there by other divers.  It's a shallower wreck then the other ones I've been to, and surrounded by a sandy bottom which  helps to reflect a lot of light.  Despite being  a happier wreck, it still has a certain silence that cannot be found up on land. 

I think all wrecks carry this silence. 

There's a stillness, a sense of nothingness, a sunken past about wrecks that words cannot describe. Those are the reasons for my paintings.

Hammerheads

jelly fish

Art Sale!

Hello Folks!

I'm putting my artwork up for sale in hopes of making a bit of money.  I'm posting all  the paintings that I'm selling with the prices listed below each one.

If you are interested in purchasing one of my paintings, please contact me at lynzardo@hotmail.com
I appreciate all inquiries!

Lyndsay Bilodeau

Cat City. Acrylic on stretched canvas. 48"x24".   $400 USD

Wiggles. Acrylic on stretched canvas. 48"x24". no longer for sale

 Sink or Swim. Acrylic on stretched canvas. 30"x40". $425 USD

SOLD! Under The Sea. Acrylic on canvas. Unframed. Finished work measures 13"x21" and was painted on a 18"x24" canvas.  $300 USD

Mi Locura. Acrylic painting on canvas. Unframed. 18"x24". $200 USD

  SOLD A Trapped Cat. Acrylic painting on canvas. Unframed. 16"x21". $150 USD

Swirl. Acrylic painting on canvas. Unframed. 18"x24". $200 USD

  Wave. Acrylic painting on canvas. Unframed.12"x16". $65 USD

SOLD!We Built This City. Acrylic painting on canvas. Unframed. 9"x12". $65 USD

Fist Full Of Teeth.  Acrylic painting on canvas. Unframed. 18"x24". $200 USD

Stacey De Guadalupe

I made this painting for my younger sister. She has a cat named Stacey, and she also loves religious paraphernalia. The idea for this painting started with a card that I carry in my wallet that I got on my last trip to Mexico. It's an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and although I'm not a religious person, I carry it around because I find the image really beautiful.  When I started making this painting, I  thought is would be humorous to use a cat as a religious icon. I know it's somewhat ridiculous, but that's part of the humour, I guess!

Sink or Swim

As usual, I love painting underwater scenes. This one depicts a small fish swimming away from bubbles and algae that are trying to spiral around and capture him. The bubbles grow relentlessly upward chasing the small fish, trying to capture its very essence, its soul. The fish does not give in and breaks free from the mound of bubbles and swims upward towards the light as fast as his fins can take him.  He feels the bubbles mounting and chasing him but he never looks back, keeping his focus on the light. 

When the ocean and the earth collide

When the ocean and earth collide was really a fun project for me.  I began painting it several months ago, but got stuck in a bit of a creative rut.  Once I had the foundation, I just couldn't see where else I wanted to go with this piece. I put it aside for several months, staring at it everyday, wondering  what would become of it. It was not until a few weeks ago, that I decided to continue with this painting, even though I didn't completely feel confident about it.  I just told myself; "go for it".  The more colour I added to the painting, the more I wanted to keep adding. Slowly I saw these lovely organic shapes and lines come to life.  From then on, it all flowed quite well.  Every time I added paint, I saw it's life begin to emerge and grow.  Something was blooming, bursting, exploding. A new life was making way.  

There's also a large element of water in the painting. Like some of my other work, it reminds me of coral reefs, algae, sea vegetables, and marine life. But even more so, it makes me think of the life that oceans themselves contain.  That raw life force.  

I took a photo of my painting with my dog, so you can get a feel for the size.  I will start posting the actual dimensions of my paintings, as soon as I find my measuring tape!

Below is a photo of the painting when I had first started working on it. I also changed it's original direction.

Sailing the Pacific

When I look at this piece of work, I imagine an old Spanish Ship wandering the coastlines of Central America, looking for a new world, a  type of paradise.

Fistful of teeth

The original idea I had in mind for this painting was not about teeth at all. As the painting progressed, it brought to mind several different things, like cocoons, honeycombs, a worm's body.....I knew I wanted some red in there, and as I started adding the colour in, it began to take on an image of what I think looks like gums and teeth.  It also looks like there is a fist coming at me.  Kind of looks like a scrunched up hand, punching through the painting. But why the teeth and gums?

When I finished it, I took a long look at it and it made me think of my ex dentist! And the terrible job she did on my tooth recently which caused me to have to get a root canal. 

Maybe I was trying to get my frustrations out? lol

And maybe I just was seeing what I wanted to see.

When I look at the painting, I see it as a fist telling me to back off, or eat it! I feel it has a somewhat  aggressive element to it. Not completely the way I envisioned it, but it's interesting nonetheless.

 On a side note, Fistful of Teeth is also a Gwar song!

escaping the storm by boat

Just hope that the tugboat doesn't have any leaks!

There are a lot of emotions stirring in this painting. Fright, fear, escaping, seeking,  getting away before the storm arrives, making it out of the rain, leaving it all behind.

swirl

Made me think of Neapolitan ice cream.  It also made me think of an ethereal cloud-like figure swooping down onto the front of an old sail ship. 

Infiltration

Infiltration (geological term): The movement of groundwater or hydrothermal water into rock or soil through joints and pores.

Space Cats

La Sorciere

I will not be held captive by this world any longer. 

I will be myself, even if you try to hold me down. 

I AM wild, and I AM full of magic. 

I AM wise, and naive all at the same time. 

But don't misjudge those aspects as weaknesses. 

I am old and have lived many lives.

I have seen more things than you will in this lifetime. 

Don't be fooled by the control you think you currently have.

Don't get too comfortable in your King's chair.

Your seat will eventually be overthrown and be put back into balance. 

Such is nature's law.

Wiggles 2

Cat City

Can you spot the cats? 

If cities were inhabited by cats and windows turned into birds.

We built this city on top of a shanti

8"x10" acrylic on canvas -unframed

Wiggles

This is  a small painting  I made of my dog-friend Wiggles.   She loves to jump! The contrast is what makes her "jump" out at you.

8"x10" acrylic on stretched canvas