Footsteps at Heaven’s Gate

“Footsteps at Heaven’s Gate,” is a fantasy landscape, combining elements of Surrealism. I was inspired to create this piece after seeing the footprints of my landlady’s dog on the wet earth, outside our home. I had also wanted to paint a Torii Gate for some time, after watching a few documentaries about Buddhism in Asia, and seeing the gates numerous times, in various locations outside several different temples. I had already started painting footprints on the canvas, beneath a blue sky, when I got the idea in my head to paint the Torii gate also, then I decided to start painting what could look like either clouds or waves and sea creatures, depending on if you’re looking at the painting right side up, or upside down. I put ‘gate’ and ‘Heaven’s Gate’ together in my head while I was painting this. I also wanted to subvert the idea of perspective and to make the viewer see the image with more than one possible interpretation in mind.

I can’t say that I have any one particular style or technique in mind when I’m painting. My work is not coming from the perspective of someone who has been classically trained, and I don’t know the technical terms for why I do things the way that I do. I create art purely by instinct, and the way that I’ll move the brush, or choose the brush or sponge that I’m using for one part of the painting or other is purely based on how I think that it will look on the canvas, or how much of a color I want to use in the picture. I’ll then adjust it if I don’t like how it looks, or will layer different colors over it, to give it more depth. Every brushstroke or dab of the sponge is an experiment, and sometimes I’ll get wacky notions in my head suddenly on a whim, that will end up working brilliantly.

For example, once I’d finished painting “Footsteps,” I remembered the bottle of almond oil I saw sitting on my shelf, and remembered that I’d had the idea the other day prior to use almond oil on a painting, just to see what happens. Well, I’m happy to say that brushing the painted canvas with a bit of almond oil actually made the colors look brighter, and it gave a really nice glossy finish to the painting, without smudging the watercolor paint. It dried quite nicely too, so I’ll definitely be trying that experiment again!

If you like the look of this piece and want to buy it there’s a couple of ways you can do it, either as the original painting for $200, or as a print, which is $30. The price for both options includes the cost of materials and labor. Here’s the link to my online store, where you can choose your preference, and buy it: https://squareup.com/store/mayasdivinedesigns/item/footsteps-at-heavens-gate Thanks!!

Any questions? Email me, please. I’ll respond in less than 24 hours, or even quicker during my store’s open hours, 10-6, Pacific Standard Time, Mon-Fri.

Detailed view, “Footsteps at Heaven’s Gate “

Detailed view, “Footsteps at Heaven’s Gate “