About the Dragon: Awaken the Dragon: Painting a Statue with Personality! I am so happy to have friends who look out for me and think about what I might like to do :). One of these friends sent me the application for the Deforest Nordic Dragon Fest Art Initiative. They were looking for artists to paint dragons for their public spaces to be displayed. I was so happy to participate, I knew right away my intricate designs would be great on a dragon. I also knew right away that I wanted to make it pretty, a pleasure to look at. But I had to wait a little bit for the fiberglass statue to arrive to figure out exactly how I wanted it :).
I am still amused at the time when it arrived and when it left. Imagine a truck pulling up to your front porch with a huge white dragon :). It was so large, it had to be painted my front porch :). One morning when I was painting behind it, I heard some ladies wondering what that was on that porch, a mermaid? a dog? it was so amusing. My neighbors probably wondered what was up with the odd blue thing on my front porch, and if it was going to stay :).
How it turned out: I wanted a beautiful and tranquil dragon that reflected my artwork and my style, so it had to be blue :). The dragon's skin is a light shade of blue, with subtle variations and lots of gold to create an effect of real scales. I also knew that the eyes were going to be the most important detail. So I researched it for a long time what kind of eyes I wanted. The dragon's eyes are particularly cute and striking, with a mesmerizing combination of colors that seem to glow from within.
The other element I wanted to be impressive on this dragon statue is the intricate designs on its back. The patterns are delicate and intricate, with a level of detail that is actually breathtaking because I think sometimes I actually forget to breath when I paint, I focus so closely on the details :).
We named her Aqua Aurelia, she is cute and beautiful with captivating pretty eyes that are full of tiny details. Radiant Smiles Blog
Host: Dr. Amy Anderson
Location: 124 S. Main St.
About the Artist: Growing up in the communist country of Hungary, Kinga Johnson’s passion for creating didn’t seem to translate into a dream that could be fulfilled. She says, “Art wasn’t exactly encouraged, so I ended up studying finance and banking, but I always felt something was missing”. She had always loved to doodle, but had “never given a second thought to maybe pursue art”. But circumstances and locations change, and sometimes new dreams you never even know you had can come true!
When five years ago Kinga volunteered to do face painting at a neighborhood party and saw the reactions of the children she was decorating, she was hooked. “When the kids look in the mirror and their face lights up, it is priceless”.
She truly loves to face paint, but of course, due to the pandemic, she has had to temporarily step away from that part of her life. So, in order to fill the creativity gap she started to paint at home (art.aurelian) .
She says, “I miss all the smiles, but I hope my art will brighten someone’s day, just like when kids look in the mirror”. That is her main drive to paint, and she loves “colourful, happy, inspiring paintings that bring positive vibes and warm, happy feelings”.
While I’m sure the neighborhood kids are missing Kinga’s talents and friendly personality, myself and many others are happy for the pivot. With beautiful colors, gold details and an often ethereal feel, this artist’s paintings on paper, canvas and unique homewares would light up any room with a touch of elegance!
