Kathryn Delany

A letter to my love is a mixed media piece of art – Paint to Pixels, and back to paint and collage.

Getting Started

The original drawing is done on a very rough paper – it is actually a piece of an old decorative finish board I had lying around. I had done a finish on it to simulate an orange peel wall. You can see how rough that surface is in the photo. Using soft pastel, pastel pencils and charcoal for the drawing, I then took a photograph of her and imported that into one or two of my art apps on my iPad – Procreate and Repix.

+ Pixels

The digital painting that resulted looks like this. On output this image would be around 16″ x 20″. My vision for this lovely Goddess was a very large fine art reproduction piece. I was thinking 40″ x 60″!

Back to paint and collage

When it came time to see how well my iPad painting would translate into a fine art reproduction, I had a test print made measuring 12″ x 40″. I did not want to print off a huge reproduction without knowing that everything would work. So I requested a slice of the whole to see if the quality and color was how I wanted it. When I got that proof back at that skinny size, I fell in love. Not only did it meet my expectations the unusual size was met with approval by everyone I showed it to.

I attached the fine art paper print to a wood cradle panel which measured 12″ x 42″. The print was just a bit too short lengthwise for the panel. That has never stopped me, I decided it was a perfect opportunity to try some collage. So Letter to My Love II was created.

This version of Anna, won a first place award for mixed media at the Spring 2016 Society of Washington Artists Juried Show!

Anna's Story

Anna waits in a lonely, drafty room which passes as her bedroom in the Manor. It is is an overcast day with the wind blustering around the stone walls. She sits at the window on a gorgeous plump pillow she embroidered and sewed herself. It is for her trousseau.

During the summer, Anna met and fell in love with a young baron, whose attention to her during his visit, made her feel like a Princess. (She is a minor Goddess anyway!).

He, oblivious to her true heart, blithely moved on, making words she wanted to hear. Four weeks have passed since his visit. Anna could not bear the silence any longer, and so she wrote him a letter.

It is now two weeks since she wrote her letter, and she has not heard back from the dandy! She woke up today so eager and positive there would be a letter waiting for her. she even put a tiny little colorful ribbon in her hair and had a skip in her walk coming down the stairs.

Alas the mail has arrived with nothing for her. She is feeling rather sad about this little affair now. In fact now, that she has thought a little more about things, she decides she is now down right ticked off!