I initially fell for painting because I loved the process of recreating an image. Photorealism was my objective, and the act was therapy. A couple of years ago, however, it simply wasn't feeding my artistic soul anymore. Many artists can copy a photo, but what really interested me was diving into my creative brain and pulling out ideas that did not exist in the real world. I was tired of being scared of painting without a reference, so I exited my comfort zone to learn more and to push my abilities. I've talked to many artists that begin painting without a plan or an objective and let the process speak to them. Something equally intriguing and terrifying to me. One evening I gathered the courage to simply start doodling with paint, and I was surprised with the outcome and immensely enjoyed myself. I began with thinned oil paint and pulled out the forms the uneven paint presented. I kept building details and colors while keeping the structure fairly simple so my brain could keep up. This is what I came up with: ![Flux_Christie Snelson.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmbH3Xnm4vrLfHK5Wun1GHuwRp4VQvZaxUh2tS6y2EPUJu/Flux_Christie%20Snelson.jpg)*Flux*, 12x16, oil on canvas At the time, I was very interested in creating more of a feeling more than a narrative. Imagery that was haunting but comfortable was not only appealing but also very relatable at a time in my life that I was especially uncertain as I transitioned in my worldly beliefs. ![Cosmicscape2_Christie Snelson.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPpVmJGNQ9sKmXWEj9QiAMyPyZv1zsA8WQhUakZ4j8Sk7/Cosmicscape2_Christie%20Snelson.jpg)*Expansion*, 12x16, oil on canvas I focused on composition, structure, and color. After my first piece, these became a bit easier to find the frameworks and create these environments I called "cosmicscapes," feeling like they weren't of this world. The swirls were very indicative of how I felt during this tumultuous transition in my life. ![Pulse_Christie Snelson.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmRW3cznr7Zc33jbrLWtGp9EH8TgXSQ8G7SPzmS4Bk5uY3/Pulse_Christie%20Snelson.jpg)*Pulse*, 11x14, oil on canvas From there, I tried a couple other variations that tied in my previous series, [Roots](http://christiesnelson.com/roots-2014/), by painting trees to keep in theme with these eerie yet beautiful landscapes. These are a couple of my favorites of all time now: ![Cosmicscape_Floating Spheres Forest_Christie Snelson.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmUzVXo2J66Sk5NUaGXA2XpgyVANQRMA7m6fg9LHjZjeEu/Cosmicscape_Floating%20Spheres%20Forest_Christie%20Snelson.jpg)*Suspension of Reality*, 12x12, oil on canvas ![Cosmiscape Forest_Christie Snelson.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQVUsTeYkYXmzxrCiRk3AntHuHbHfMSCr7L4A2JWn5WAU/Cosmiscape%20Forest_Christie%20Snelson.jpg)*Allure*, 12x16, oil on canvas I painted "Allure" larger and omitted the black hole because it didn't quite work with the new scale. It now is a permanent installation in my living room :) ![Allure_Final_Christie Snelson copy.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmP6TgkExGh4vP4eqyQUWm8yKkQGHkc6cySLEefULbZH8j/Allure_Final_Christie%20Snelson%20copy.jpg)*Allure*, 24x36, acrylic + oil on canvas I also took several of these images and created animated GIFs of them to present them in a new way. Enjoy :) https://media.giphy.com/media/l0Hluiu5tVTtYGpeE/giphy.gif https://media.giphy.com/media/26uf04lgCjT6aS1Y4/giphy.gif https://media.giphy.com/media/3o7TKKZmeZ1zfWdWLu/giphy.gif Thanks for looking! ![christie snelson sized copy.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPdJKvUPYgz77SDJCVLz43cUjYpvVuZHTGLB6c3QYpCFh/christie%20snelson%20sized%20copy.jpg) [www.christiesnelson.com](https://www.christiesnelson.com)