Abstracts Archives - Peony and Parakeet

Painting by Programming – Modern Vanitas

Posted on October 31, 2024Posted in Abstracts, Digital, Going Beyond the Conventional, History, VideosTagged software2 Comments

Happy Halloween! This year’s Halloween artwork combines painting and programming.

A screenshot of an algorithmic artwork "Modern Vanitas", programmed in Javascript P5. By artist Paivi Eerola, Finland. — A screenshot of an algorithmic artwork “Modern Vanitas”, programmed in Javascript P5.

This week, I have a video that has excerpts from the artwork I programmed. The program picks four of my paintings at a time and forms a Vanitas-type arrangement with a skull, fallen crown, extinguished candles, and withering flowers – symbols of our transience. The program has 50 paintings from 2021-2024 to choose from. The music for the video is composed by me, representing a conversation about the temporary nature of life.

You can watch the video bigger by pressing the last icon on the menubar.

If you are interested in seeing more of this artwork, here’s a longer video that explains the Vanitas concept and shows more samples.

I designed the 3-dimensional shapes and then blended the paintings on them by programming.

Painting by Programming

One of my oil paintings is also Vanitas, so the theme is very familiar to me. The transience of life has both horror and beauty, maybe emptiness too that goes well with the machines. The way the computer paints with me produces fascinating details.

A detail of an algorithmic artwork "Modern Vanitas", programmed by Paivi Eerola.

We can continue the tradition of Vanitas paintings and use any technique to make our own versions.

What kind of version would you create?

P.S. This month there was a digital art exhibition “Deform and re-form” on the screens of the Helsinki Central Library Oodi. The exhibition called “Deform and Re-Form” was organized by the Finnish National Gallery’s digital team. Oodi is a very popular big library building, with lots of visitors every day. It felt great to see my artwork “Queen of the Night” there.

Even if a part of this year’s art is digital and painted by programming, I still keep creating traditional art as well.

What to Create with Colored Pencils? – Watch the Video!

Posted on September 20, 2024September 20, 2024Posted in Abstracts, Animals, Color, Fantasy, Flowers & Plants, Portraits & Faces, Sceneries, VideosTagged colored pencils, watercolor pencils2 Comments

This week I have a short inspirational video for you. I wanted to make a video that I can share on Instagram, so this has different portions than my videos usually are. You can watch it bigger by pressing the last icon on the menubar below the video.

Most of these drawings are made with regular colored pencils (or crayons as some call them) and some with watercolor pencils. I love both.

Coloring Freely on Blank Paper – Simple Start!

I am an advocate for coloring freely – starting with blank paper, adding colors on top of each other, and getting excited about what comes up. This doesn’t have to be anything difficult. Here’s an old picture from 2015 that I still find inspiring. You can illustrate your journaling with freely colored boxes.

What to create with colored pencils? Art journaling with colored pencils - a simple idea.

Children draw freely with colored pencils, but when they grow up and become “colored pencil artists” they need all kinds of references to get started. References are great for learning some techniques, but they don’t make anyone an artist. A big part of art is in our mind – how we open up and how we allow ourselves to break boundaries.

Growing Your Skills

My love for colored pencils is based on a promise that I have made for my inner child: I will color for you and help others to color for theirs. So even if I make oil paintings and media art too, colored pencils always have a special place in my heart.

Fairy looks at a dew drop. Colored pencil art by Paivi Eerola, Finland.

So, welcome to my courses to improve your skills and expand your artistic thinking!

P.S. You can still sign up for Joyful Coloring!

>> Sign Up Here!

“Start Small”

Posted on September 12, 2024Posted in Abstracts, Processing IdeasTagged watercolor pencils

In the spirit of “Start small”, have you tried this?

Draw lines and color the shapes! Art can be this simple.

Start small - an easy exercise for watercolor pencils.

But isn’t it so, that everything just flows when you have the inspiration, and when you don’t, even a simple exercise (picked from the new course Joyful Coloring) can feel tedious.

Browsing for inspiration is never quite the same as participating in a course.
My goal in Joyful Coloring is not only to widen your mind about how you can create
but also to keep your inspiration level up.

Yes, we “start small” but with inspiration, we can also do bigger things.

Watercolor pencils feed inspiration because they make coloring faster.

Joyful Coloring

Come with me to start small, and then create landscapes and seascapes, ornamental flowers, colorful fantasies, and modular magic.

Joyful Coloring – The new course begins on Sept 16! >> Sign up Now!

Painting a Childhood Dream

Posted on August 29, 2024August 29, 2024Posted in Abstracts, Animals, Big ProjectsTagged canvas, oil paints4 Comments

A childhood dream came true when I finally made a painting with my favorite subject.

Saalistajan maailma - Predator's World, oil on canvas, by Paivi Eerola, Finland — Saalistajan maailma – Predator’s World, oil on canvas, 100 x 80 cm

I’ve always wanted to paint mammalians, but reaching this point has taken a long time. The best must be protected before it comes out exactly as it is meant to be!

“Predators, Right?”

Oil painting in progress. — The enjoyable beginning.

In July, I picked a brush, and said to myself: “Predators, right?”

As a child, my friends talked mostly about horses, but I was a lion girl. I drew a lot of lions and antelopes: predators and prey. I had learned from nature books that the world works that way.

When I went to school, my parents bought a black and white television. Back then, my favorite profession was lion tamer. I wanted to be the new Joy Adamson!

“Paint What You Want!”

It is easy for a child to draw what she wants, but an adult is more critical.

Painting a childhood's dream. A detail of an oil painting called Predator's World. By Paivi Eerola, Finland.

After seeing life and understanding all its complexity, prey and predator are no longer separate, but part of a whole.

And to get hold of the whole, we have to get in touch with our inner self and grow our skills.

A detail of an oil painting called Predator's World. By Paivi Eerola, Finland.

Art is like a meadow that grows seed by seed.

Love and sunshine are needed!

I try to speak softly to myself when I paint. Like it would be a child who paints, not an adult. I hope this friendliness also comes through in my classes!

Your Childhood Dream?

Painting big and detailed takes not only friendly self-talk but also patience. That’s why I like to practice with smaller drawings.
Big or small – we are on this journey together!

Painting a chilhood's dream. Predator's World, oil on canvas, by Paivi Eerola, Finland

What was your childhood dream? What subjects did you draw as a child?

Color the Emotion

Category: Abstracts