I just uploaded some images of a few recent paintings of mine (hopefully
they will make the cut, but don't worry - I won't make it a habit of
posting tons of pictures). There isn't really an art forum here, but given
the subject matter I work with, I think posting about it in the Fashion
forum is probably fine.
I happen to have a great love of fashion and costume, so the images I
choose are usually portraits of models, night club patrons, stage
performers and masquerade party-goers. Why? Because for one, they can get
away with wearing stuff that looks like arse on me. Ha! Also, I've always
managed to find beauty among the dark and unusual. A kind of beauty which,
up until computers/PhotoShop/internet became the dominant media, wasn't
often seen in modern painting (at least, not in my neck of the woods
anyway). My definition of beauty certainly isn't to everyone's taste, but
hey, ya gotta go with what you know.
Ask a painter why they create what they do and you will probably get an
annoying ten-minute semi-intelligent egomaniacal explanation. Not me. I
just paint stuff I like. I see something I think is my own warped version
of beautiful (a person I pass on the street, a photo a friend took, a
magazine ad, etc.) and put it on canvas to make it *that* much more how I
think it should be. As for why I paint at all, and chose to be a
professional artist, I don't know. Some stubborn part of my nature drove
me to do it and keeps me doing it - kind of the same mental process that
keeps you drinking coffee even though you know it may not be good for you.
Sorry if that isn't deep enough for you. But after 4 tedious years of art
school and having middle-class pseudo-intellectuals fill my head with their
self-important feminist drivel, I don't have the patience for long-winded
theories and analyses. If you want that sort of thing, you figure
it out and talk about it! That's what critics are for. They bitch about
art so I don't have to.
Anyway, if you're interested in seeing more of my work (paintings and
drawings, as well as my own fashion design stuff) you can go here: http://valerian.araneum.ca
____________________ Art of Adornment ~ Victorian & Gothic Accessories
www.artofadornment.ca
Kira
Member
Posts: 149 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
posted on 13/10/2005 at 12:37 PM
I peeked at your website and I'm really digging your paintings, especially
the later series. I like how they capture a more whimsical side of the
goth-ish subjects instead of the "oh, isn't this dark and creepy" stuff I
see all over. It's really refreshing. Lord knows, if I never see one more
drawing/photomanip/painting of some skinny girl covered in blood with her
eyeballs blacked out it will be too soon.
After doing mostly digital stuff for the last few years and getting totally
burned out in school, I'm thinking of going back to painting. There is just
something nice about working in a more tactile medium. Plus, after being on
the computer at work all day the last thing i want to do is come home and
make art on one. Your stuff is really inspiring!
____________________ Wind me up and make me crawl to you, tie me up until I call to you.
valerian
Occasional Poster
Posts: 21 Registered: 8/10/2005 Status: Offline
posted on 13/10/2005 at 01:03 PM
Thank you for your comments! True, they are not cliché images of skinny
weeping girls with wilted roses, lounging in graveyards. In my experience,
Goths really aren't like that. Or at least, if they are, they don't do
those things for very long. I guess you could say I paint a different
facet of the Goth stereotype: the nightclubber/fashion victim/attention
whore type, ha ha! I'll leave painting the graveyard mopers and vampyres
to those who are more into that side of Goth.
____________________ Art of Adornment ~ Victorian & Gothic Accessories
www.artofadornment.ca
Kira
Member
Posts: 149 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
posted on 13/10/2005 at 01:27 PM
I'm not really sure what the style is called (not really Art Nouveau?) but
they have a turn of the century Toulouse-Lautrec kinda feel to them. Makes
sense with the whole fashion/nightclub aspect...
____________________ Wind me up and make me crawl to you, tie me up until I call to you.
valerian
Occasional Poster
Posts: 21 Registered: 8/10/2005 Status: Offline
posted on 17/10/2005 at 12:40 AM
Thanks!
I love Lautrec's work, so naturally I will take your remarks as quite a
compliment! But I suppose the comparison isn't unexpected - the garish
colours, the artsy nightclub types, the booze... only swap the can-can
girls for Goth chicks and there you have it.
____________________ Art of Adornment ~ Victorian & Gothic Accessories
www.artofadornment.ca
Absinthe
Coward
Posts: 1 Registered: 6/11/2005 Status: Offline
posted on 6/11/2005 at 08:42 AM
Aaight I just checket out your artwork and desing work. Its totaly
amaizing! (which you porbably already knew) you made all those juwlery
yourself? including those cameos and stuff?
And ve seen your the corsets that youve made too, they are just too
beautiful for words, wish I could do that. Does it take a lot of time to
make one?
Planning to buy one of your cute lolita hats (you can make hats too?) but I
have already ordered too much stuff this month, so bla..
If you ever plan to take pupils.. I m a voluntaire!
valerian
Occasional Poster
Posts: 21 Registered: 8/10/2005 Status: Offline
posted on 6/11/2005 at 11:19 AM
Thanks!
No, I don't make every component from scratch. I have always liked taking
unusual pieces of this and that and assembling them into something else (I
have always had a fondness for the instant gratification of collage art),
so beadwork and hat-making came kind of naturally to me I guess.
____________________ Art of Adornment ~ Victorian & Gothic Accessories
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gothicmorman
Fanatic
Posts: 233 Registered: 11/7/2002 Status: Offline
posted on 7/11/2005 at 05:18 AM
wow - I really like the commission one you did "Nottaway Plantation",
"Emerging", and "Geisha". those are just three paintings that really caught
my eye, not to mention all the other stuff... ooo! like "Minou" the one you
did of a cat, i liked that one ^.^ and of course the corsets *drools*
I would like to start making jewellery type stuff myself, so far everything
I make is with random stuff i find in my room like elastic bands for
bracelet/supposed to be like wrist cuffs type stuff but they don't take
heavy wear very well.
hardwares stores are a very good place for chain and stuff like that
though.
valerian
Occasional Poster
Posts: 21 Registered: 8/10/2005 Status: Offline
posted on 22/11/2005 at 11:02 PM
Thank you!!
*blush*
To be honest, I do so little painting now, it's embarrassing. I've gone so
head over heels with this fashion stuff, and I am loving it. One thing is
for sure, I never EVER thought I would be doing this for a living. Never
in a million years did I ever think I'd have my own business and be doing
well at it - and I certainly never pictured myself having a career in
fashion in any description. Just goes to show ya, when you quit a dead-end
job in a fit of rage, sometimes it's the best thing you could have ever
done.
Anyway, I'm really impressed with myself this month, as far as jewelry and
stuff goes. The more I enjoy it, the better I get. Hmmm. Kind of like
sex....
Anyhoo, I also just wanted to spread the word: I'm offering free shipping
on orders over $75 USD until December 10th. /spam
[Edited on 23/11/2005 by valerian]
____________________ Art of Adornment ~ Victorian & Gothic Accessories
www.artofadornment.ca
valerian
Occasional Poster
Posts: 21 Registered: 8/10/2005 Status: Offline
posted on 3/2/2006 at 09:04 AM
Ha! Just when you thought you were rid of me!
Since I'm not much of a writer, I don't usually spend a lot of time posting
witty comments because well, I just don't have any. My contributions are
best left to being visual than textual. I get into less trouble that way
anyway. So on that note, I've recently added a few new pictures to my
gallery (and by the way, if you guys feel they should be in a different
gallery, by all means please shift them).
I added them because they are the first actual "professional" images of the
jewelry work that I do. A human model, proper lighting, professional
make-up and that sort of thing. I'm *really* happy with them - not just
for showcasing the jewelry but because I find the photographs themselves to
be quite lovely. I can't take credit for the act of physically shooting
the pictures (my partner did that), but the rest was orchestrated by me.
It helps that my model was a very good friend, and didn't mind posing for
free. Anyway, I hope you enjoy them.
[Edited on 3/2/2006 by valerian]
Weird - I thought I had uploaded at least 4, but only 1 is showing. Oh
well, you get the idea anywway.
[Edited on 4/2/2006 by valerian]
____________________ Art of Adornment ~ Victorian & Gothic Accessories
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bloodandglitter
Coward
Posts: 3 Registered: 3/5/2006 Status: Offline
posted on 4/5/2006 at 10:08 AM
wow. you're REALLY good. I absolutely adore your paintings.
Psychopixi
Fanatic
Posts: 376 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
posted on 10/5/2006 at 10:59 AM
I know nothing about art, but I do like your paintings, and I liked the
"Andrew, with flag" one from the thumbnail, clicked on it and realised the
flag was the Welsh flag in the background! *yey* I remember the Top
Hat one from the gallery on here, and still really like that one (partly
because that could be a goth club which I go to), and I also like the Bride
and Groom in the mixed-media section.
____________________ Do not fear death so much, but rather the inadequate life.
valerian
Occasional Poster
Posts: 21 Registered: 8/10/2005 Status: Offline
posted on 6/11/2007 at 09:34 PM
OMG... I'm aliiiive! Heh well, I actually had something to contribute this
time (new photo - should hopefully be in my gallery folder soon) so I
thought I'd make the rounds in the forum as well. Hope everyone had a
great Hallowe'en. Me? Had a stomach virus and had to watch everyone else
eat all the chocolate. Ah well, got lots of work done - made a pair of
steampunk-inspired earrings out of ornate filigree clock hands that turned
out quite well. With any luck I'll have a photo of those up soon too.
PS: WTF - Every time I reply the lines of text in my sig get farther apart.
Is that a nice way of telling me I'm spaced out? *snort*
[Edited on 7/11/2007 by valerian]
____________________ Art of Adornment ~ Victorian & Gothic Accessories
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/>
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whitedove
Occasional Poster
Posts: 41 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
posted on 9/11/2007 at 06:31 AM
I took a look at your site - pretty impressive. There were some pictures I
liked a whole lot. Some of them had the whole "Heroes" feel.
I liked the quotes too. Pretty well done all around. Keep up the amazing
work (not that you need my approval or acceptance).
____________________ When nothing is left - what are you standing on? - Drake of LS
あなたの私の夢
valerian
Occasional Poster
Posts: 21 Registered: 8/10/2005 Status: Offline
posted on 16/11/2007 at 09:16 PM
Thanks!
Although I'm going to going to have to look like a total boob for a minute
here because I don't get the "Heroes" reference (something's telling me I
should)... but it sounds like a good thing so I'll just go with it.
____________________ Art of Adornment ~ Victorian & Gothic Accessories