Insight of the Windflowers

by Kelley Hensing

These bold and unique flowers are known as anemones. It’s a Greek word meaning ‘windflower’, or ‘daughter of the wind’. In my piece, this image reflects soul-searching, and an enlightenment of the creative heart. (A thank you to my Valentine!)

There are many other meanings attributed to these beautiful flowers through culture and history. Two of my favorites- they sprang from the tears of Aphrodite, when mixed with the blood of her love Adonis at his death. And in the Victorian language of flowers, they symbolize the anticipation of love or of love forsaken, depending on the colors.

I also thought I’d share a few pictures of my process. The rough drawing on the left was an image I created in my head, used to balance out the shapes. At first, the head was going to be a heart, though I later changed it a hidden face, as the flowers’ centers reminded me of eyes and I thought it would be interesting to blend hers in with them. (The heart idea will be a future version~) I then added other types of blooms and foliage from pictures I’ve taken over the years, to create a subtle spiral flow.

The drawing to the right is on vellum paper, allowing me to trace over my initial image and work out all the details. From there I scanned my drawing, tinted it a warm red, and printed it onto gray toned paper. After mounting it to masonite board and sealing with matte medium, I then started on the painting. (I spent a lot of fun time on the details~) *The piece is freshly painted, so I’ll be adding a final varnish to it when ready. So shipping time is estimated 2 weeks from this posting.

Medium: oil painting on toned paper on masonite. Vintage wood frame with gold trim. *The most accurate colors for this piece are reflected in the 2 cropped-in detail images of her face, as these were taken from the scan.

Size: art, 9.5 in x 12.5 in; with frame 11 in x 14 in -See pic of hand for scale.

[All copyright and reproduction rights of the image belong to Kelley Hensing, and will remain with the artist after purchase of the original artwork. Image will be used for the sale of future prints and note cards.]

$790 $790

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Kelley Hensing

Kelley creates new pieces every month! Feel free to contact her for a current list of work available from the studio.

Bio: Kelley is inspired by the mysterious. She grew up in a house by the woods surrounded by animals and wilderness, so many of her themes bring together strange nature, mortality and spirituality. Using archetypes of characters from folklore and myth as well as her own stories, she enjoys portraying unusual tales that symbolize our hopes and fears.

Kelley earned her MFA from the School of Visual Arts and her BFA from the Rhode Island School of design. Her favorite mediums are oils on wood and pencil on paper, and she loves to create her work by hand. Her favorite genres range from gothic and steampunk to classic fantasy and legends. Traveling is her only other passion equal to a career in art and is a vital component in inspiring her work.