Blanche Devereaux is a colorful and playful mandala painted on a wood panel using beautiful pinks and greens to capture a spirited feeling. What a delightful piece to create.
The world has been feeling so heavy to me lately, it felt necessary to create something that was light, fun and playful to balance it all out.
Meet my version of Blanche Devereaux.
I’m a child of the 80’s. Television back then was much more formal, and the Golden Girls were always a wonderful go-to show to watch. The characters in the show made growing old fabulous. They were part of the generation where aging no longer meant you were getting old.
The show addressed issues that are still relevant to today and I love watching old clips of their hilarious banter. It is impossible to pick my favorite character from that show, however, it was easy to pick one to paint.
Blanche Devereaux was the epitome of fun-loving, outgoing, and… let’s just say a free spirit. She felt no shame in her lifestyle and she sucked the marrow out of life. If I were to pick an Enneagram number for her, she would be a 7 all the way around.
Originally when I started this piece, I wanted something playful and fun. Perfect for the July month of summer. July is the time people typically go to the beach, lounge around, relax, enjoy what life has to offer and leave worries for another day.
As this piece was progressing, it really started feeling like Miami in the 80’s with all the bright colors and floral prints.
As I was painting this piece, I felt so much lighter. It felt wonderful to feel this kind of joy and I hope you can feel that as well while seeing this and contemplating your own feelings while looking at this piece.