Featured Artist - Irene Wood

The talent of the Design Style Guide Members never cease to amaze me. Looking to see who I was going to feature in todays post became very simple when I came across the unique and beautiful paintings of Irene Wood. On etsy she is Irenemachine.

Irene Wood is an artist currently residing in Seattle Washington.

From Irene's Profile: "My paintings bring together botanical and cellular elements, reoccurring patterns in nature, such as the cluster of tree branches, roots, webs, brain synapses, and meandering rivers, Asian and Western influences, traditional forms with modern abstraction, and a sense of the microscopic with the macroscopic (something you can see with the naked eye). I work to create pieces that imply a general sense of nature’s complexity while maintaining a pleasing, timeless sense of calm and beauty.
I use oil, acrylic, sumi ink and polyurethane in most pieces. "

Lotus Pond In Winter

Layers upon layers of lotus pads float amongst swooping tree branches. This painting holds a quiet calm.

Peering Into a Secret Cave By the Sea
This is a deep blue painting that plays with underwater and above water imagery in one visual plane.

Whispering Branches

Cherry Blossom Grove

Looking Inside A Sunset
This is a rich rose colored painting that depicts faded trees in the background and layers of golden and crimson lotus pads.

Irenes website http://www.irenemachine.com/paintings/

Etsy shop http://irenemachine.etsy.com

Up until now I had no idea what Sumi Ink was, not even sure if I ever heard of it, but I do now. For those of you that do not know either, it is an ink used in Sumi painting and calligraphy. So then I wanted to know what Sumi was, and found that it is an Asian style of painting that has been practiced for thousands of years. Literally means ink painting. Trying to portray a scene or object using a minimum of strokes.

I love the look of the sumi ink with acrylic and oil paints. Irene has a fresh and unique style that I am drawn to.

Make sure you check out her etsy shop and websites listed above. You will not be disappointed.