"First Pointe Shoes", 9x12, oil on panel, ballet art, little ballerina, first pointe shoes, young dancer, master class, Vaganova method, dance, ballet, on pointe, paintings of dancers

 "First Pointe Shoes", 9x12, oil on panel

To a budding young ballerina, nothing in the world is as important than her first pointe shoes! As the former director of a large ballet school and regional ballet company, parents would often anxiously ask me if their daughter was ready to go on pointe.

Obviously, this question will depend on many things. Here is a very good article that discusses this issue and although every child is different, your child's teacher is the best judge of when she will be ready.

I painted this to commemorate your little dancer's special day. It was painted in the impressionist style, and after the Vaganova training method that I used as a syllabus in my own school.

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"Raining Rose Petals", 9x12, impressionist florals, coffee cup, roses, windowsill, alla prima

 "Raining Rose Petals", 9x12

In this painting, I attempted to keep my brushstrokes loose and fluid, suggesting movement and the play of light on the surface of the flowers.  I concentrated on creating a soft impression, rather than a tight rendering of the elements- thus the minimalist approach to the roses and background elements.

The impressionists attempted to capture the fleeting beauty of a simple moment, highlighting the play of light and color in a way that is vivid and evocative. That was also my goal in painting this simple still life. 

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