I Am Not Yours

"I Am Not Yours"

by Sara Teasdale

I am not yours, not lost in you,

Not lost, although I long to be

Lost as a candle lit at noon,

Lost as a snowflake in the sea.

You love me, and I find you still

A spirit beautiful and bright,

Yet I am I, who long to be

Lost as a light is lost in light.

Oh plunge me deep in love -- put out

My senses, leave me deaf and blind,

Swept by the tempest of your love,

A taper in a rushing wind.

I feel strongly for this particular piece. I like that it turned out to be very dreamy. I didn't rely on borders this time, i let the paint go where it wanted to and it turned out really well.

(watercolor on 300gsm watercolor paper)

delicious ambiguity.

Helen

I know it's been ages since my last artwork post, but I swear I've been working on art even if I have not been blogging about it.

So I finally started working with watercolor and I'm loving it! It's a very interesting shift from graphite pencils and colored pencils. I like the challenge that the fluidity of water brings to the artwork and I also like that I can finally work with more colors this time. I've also tried to explore the human figure (slowly) and I am planning to finally deviate from just drawing faces.

My inspiration for this artwork is Christopher Marlowe's poem entitled "The Face That Launched A Thousand Ships."

Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships,

And burnt the topless towers of Ilium?

Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss.

Her lips suck forth my soul: see where it flies!

Come, Helen, come, give me my soul again.

Here will I dwell, for heaven is in these lips,

And all is dross that is not Helena.

I will be Paris, and for love of thee,

Instead of Troy, shall Wittenberg be sack'd;

And I will combat with weak Menelaus,

And wear thy colours on my plumed crest;

Yea, I will wound Achilles in the heel,

And then return to Helen for a kiss.

O, thou art fairer than the evening air

Clad in the beauty of a thousand stars;

Brighter art thou than flaming Jupiter

When he appear'd to hapless Semele;

More lovely than the monarch of the sky

In wanton Arethusa's azur'd arms;

And none but thou shalt be my paramour!

Out of all my watercolor works, this has got to be the best one yet. It is my favorite as of the moment. I was not able to take WIPs, it is just too darn stressing to be taking photos while trying to control watercolor.

Hopefully I'd be able to make more of these soon.

delicious ambiguity.