Saturday, June 11, 2011

balance

The delicate balance of a ballerina.

These photos taken at a dance recital in Venice, CA while Henry was still in my belly.





A book of horses we bought at a New Orleans library book sale features a circus ballerina balancing on her Percheron. 



I recreated this scene with a ballerina from a vintage jewelry box gifted to Greta and a little plastic horse I found in a drawer.



Then translated into a simple watercolor.



Greta's balancing act started with a FedEx box balanced on a Jack-in-the-Box, and our ballerina balancing on the back of her leaping Lipizzan.


Tomorrow Greta will dance in her second ballet recital.  She is very excited.

If you find yourself off kilter, look to the always balanced, Ariane

14 comments:

Ariane Reichardt said...

Wonderful!! Dear Rachel and dear Greta,
the black and white images of the dance recital... I love the first one!... then you're way to the paintings! Wow... the paintings, great! Look at the fury of your horse... and Greta's horse: his legs, the dancer in red, really safe, amazing.
All the best for you and for Greta's second ballet recital.
Love,
Ariane.
...my dishes is in one piece...

Patrice A. said...

beautiful!!
those first pictures
so delicate
and your drawing great
but Greta's, wauw!

I like to see where your inspiration came from
and good luck Great!

renilde said...

dear Rachel,i think it's so lovely how you take the challenges together with your daughter. It is super to see both of your drawings, how you make a kind of game of it for the two of you, wonderful! The photos, delicate, i love black/white. x

Lil Muse Lily said...

So great Rachel! Love your inspiration and how you interpreted it.
Good luck to Greta today!

Julia da Franca said...

i like your balances a lot! the way from the pictures, over a painting into your drawings/paintings, just great!

Anna Vee said...

I adore these! The two of you are quite the artists!

I was also in awe over the Wonder Woman - all those details in only a few minutes?? Wow! :)

maria said...

wow! beautiful artwork as ever and i LOVE the pics. thank you Rachel! :)

Color Land said...

Beautiful, lovely pictures of the recital!
Your drawing is amazing, but Gretas is so inspiring, love the way he express herself with that kind of drawings, so colorful!

Love Greta's style and art, she is an awesome little artist!

Misha Lulu said...

Very nice Rachel! Both of you are amazing artists!

Peggy Ray said...

Lovely! I remember that recital. That was fun. I didn't remember that you were pregnant then. I took a gorgeous walk in the woods by Big River today and thought of you and your every day life drawing challenge. It made me think about drawing for the first time in a long time. I'll have to try one sometime and send it along. So many things to do, so little time...
Love the drawings and paintings you and Greta did.

nadine paduart said...

rachel... you have no idea...
yesterday morning i woke up with a funny title to a children's story in my head. i have been preoccupied by wondering how i can do something even more dynamic with my vintage finds, maybe manufacture short stories, or something... i found myself off kilter, just a little.
now i discover this wonderful, wonderful thought of train, here, on your blog. it just makes me smile so...
i love your take, i have always been mesmerized by girls riding horses, this nonchalant way. let's say i do not understand it, but then i am no horses lover either...
now i still have to tell you how much i love the grace in the b&w images.
the girl's got humour in her tail! ;))) good luck to her on greta's recital! n♥

Hagar said...

Wow!
Where do I start? Let's see:
The b&W photos are beautiful.
The recreating an image from a book with the vintage jewelry box is brilliant!
Last but not least Greta's drawing so cute...
Success in the ballet recital...:-)

cam said...

beautiful... loved the watercolor but i gotta say the fed ex box added a nice touch to Greta's picture!

Unknown said...

your photography is amazing! love the ballerina!!!!