In the collection “Swan Lake”, I used acrylic, oil sticks, and pearl pigment to explore scenes within the classic story. Although each painting is unique and tells its own story, they are all tied together with a common thread, the story of swan lake. The florals represent love, and the abstract floral petals & fragments can also be seen as fallen feathers. Specific colors are used to represent the beautiful white swan princess, the royal blue prince, and the black swan. 

In the classic story, the swan is a princess who gets turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer. She transforms back into a princess at the end of the story. I'm drawn to the theme of transformation, and becoming one's truest self. Swans were a repeating motif in this collection as they represent pure natural beauty, confidence, and being sure of oneself. Love and loyalty play a big part in the Swan Lake story as well, and the layers of good and evil are intertwined - the prince character gets duped in the middle as he is unable to tell which one is the real swan princess. In my abstract works 'Dance of the Swans' and 'Swan Lake' I layer in the different characters from the story by using their key colors. I wanted to intertwine the story of 'Swan Lake' into these works and still make the piece visually cohesive from a design perspective. 

The classic scene of 'Dance of the Swans' is so enchanting, the prince is drawn in by all the swans and gets closer and closer until he falls in love with the swan princess. The swans come in and out of formation, each individuals but in sync. I like the playfulness of this scene and tried to capture it in my abstract work 'Dance of the Swans'.

Lastly, in my twilight and night sky pieces, I wanted to convey the mystical quality of the evening when all the magic is happening in the story. The stars are placed deliberately, with pearl pigments, to make the viewer feel as though they were really staring up at the sky. They glisten and sparkle in the light. 

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