Stepping Out Painting by Carolyn Oberst - as part of the series on arts by GeoBeats.

I am Carolyn Oberst and this painting is called "Stepping Out." It is based on a vintage soft doll from my collection that is really pretty old and very simple. I start with a very basic drawing. Just a drawing of the subject and here I collaged it onto a couple of different patterns. And then, I take this, I xerox it, I cut it up and I come up with a composition that is more elaborate and more abstract.

And then, I use the composition that I came up with as the basis for the painting. I find the shapes that are interesting to me. I cut them out of different thicknesses of wood. And then, I put them together by screwing them from behind. I feel that this use of a nostalgic image with this kind of upbeat, animated style expresses this feeling that life is not what it used to be. It is more busy and we are bombarded more than we have ever been before. However, it is also fun and upbeat so, I feel it has a two-sided expression to this painting.