CROP AND BURN

This painting is from several years ago. It recently returned home from the gallery and challenged me to rework it. Since it was done with both watercolor and gouache, the challenge sounded like a good possibility. First the garish cool yellows were calmed down. That helped a little but not enough to suit me. Next shapes were quieted somewhat to what you see here.

Finally, after a lot of deliberation, cropping became an option, because the painting had no holding power as it was. The overall pattern of lights and darks was just too weak to keep my attention.

Often when a painting is shrunk down to a one inch size, the pattern of the lights and darks of the painting becomes very easy to read, since all the detail is too small to see. If there is an effective pattern of light and dark shapes, the painting will hold together at any size, which helps to keep the viewer's attention longer. You can see the difference of the major light and dark shapes here of the original painting and the cropped version.

Below is the final cropped painting. Slicing off the busy shapes, even though I really liked them, helped the overall success of the painting. The new and narrower painting now 'lives' in southern Michigan. It found a happy owner on its first debut out the door. HURRAY!

NORTHERN EXPOSURE (previously called POLAR EXTREMES) Watercolor, Gouache, and Fluid Acrylics on 140# Fabriano 30 x 13" Collected

PATTERNS & POSSIBILITES

Shapes capture more attention when they have some diagonal movement to them. This painting is about placing recognizable, diagonally oriented shapes together to create a patterned painting. It leans slightly toward a grid look or checkerboard composition.

Watercolors - five different colors - were washed over the paper initially, with many blossoms and textural effects encouraged to occcur in the wash. Then opaque gouache watercolor was added to enhance, define, and bring out the emphasis of the shapes. Stencils were also used for the lettering, roosters and chickens by using a sponge to lift out each shape from the paint through a piece of precut acetate stencil.

After lifting out the shapes, some areas in the stenciled shape were touched up again with paint. The rooster feathers were left as is, showing the underlying textures, with only the face and leg areas painted with detail.

Repetition was important but couldn't be over done. Temperature dominance was understated but still evident. The use of straight edges in the background against the fluid edges of the birds and egg helped add contrast, too. The painting needed some surprises and stronger contrasts of value to keep it interesting.

The egg has a lot more value changes within a small space than this blog shows. It did turn out really good with just a hint of warmth on the lower side of it. Click on the pix to see the textures along with the chicken wire --- which could have been done with a stencil, but was painted in.

The elements of design that were meant to be emphasized included shape, color, and texture. My natural inclination when painting is to put a very strong emphasis on value, but not this time. The whole process was like going on a mystery trip, since there was no initial plan to go by. Although most of my work is usually preplanned, I really get charged up by the challenges of finding my way in a painting like this.

"THE EGG CAME 1ST!" Transparent Watercolor & Gouache on 140#CP Arches 20 x 14"

FALLING AWAY

Watercolor is often defined as a medium that incorporates the pigment with water to extend it onto the paper. That could include many kinds of paint like tempera paint/poster paint - from grade school - plus opaque watercolor made by mixing chalk with the pigments (gouache) to acrylics to water based inks to casein and egg tempera paint. Even watercolor pencils and crayons technically qualify as watercolor if water is added. But transparent watercolor is what the majority of people 'think' when they hear the word 'watercolor.'

This painting, done on the slick YUPO surface, includes 'regular' transparent watercolor with fluid acrylics over parts of it, with gouache added in thin layers plus water based inks drawn in last. It's a 'watercolor' technically, but PURISTS wouldn't consider it one.

Very few watercolor societies limit the definition of 'watercolor' to mean just transparent watercolor (as PURISTS do.) There's certainly validity in having a group or show for only transparent watercolor paintings because the difficulty and challenge of painting with only transparent watercolor is great. It's good to compare apples with apples in a 'watercolor' show occasionally.

The majority of my paintings are only transparent watercolor, yet it is exhilarating to be able to select whatever medium it takes to produce art. Years ago, I let the restrictive interior "WATERCOLOR POLICE" keep me from trying out other water mediums. My goal was to increase my expertise with the transparent stuff, and I (unwisely) shunned all the other possibilities.

For so many watercolor artists, it can be a big deal to take that first step away from using ONLY transparent watercolor. It was a giant step for me several years ago. However, now, whatever it takes, whatever works - that's what art's about for me, and it certainly allows so much more freedom to be able to express and create.

This painting's title came about partially because of my 'fall' from transparent watercolor. It was one of the very first that I'd tried as I used gouache and acrylics and broke away from the limits I'd set on myself. It's several years old, and tomorrow's post will include another oldie from that time, using gouache, too.

"FALLEN ANGELS" Transparent Watercolor, Gouache, Acrylics, Ink on YUPO 13 x 8"

FROZEN EN PLEIN AIRE

Sitting on an ice cold rock to paint a picture has to be true dedication. My paints were plopped on the ground beside me along with a small water container. We were above 9000 ft. elevation, and it was October and COLD. Very cold. The mittens on my hands had a place for my thumb and a finger to poke out to hold the cold paint brush.

After completing this small, glazed painting in about 3 hours time, I went on to another one. The second painting, which I will post if I ever find it again, had a beautiful pattern of ice crystals formed in the wash of the sky. The wet paint actually froze before it dried. Nothing like a little help from nature to make painting more challenging. I loved the crystallized touch and turned that painting into an African scene with palm trees (the ice crystals) and a giraffe.

This all happened at a wildlife workshop in the early 90's, and our instructor had dared us to go out into the field that day and paint. Most people from the workshop went on a gambling excursion, but about five of us took the dare - and FROZE. We were out from early morning until almost dark... but we were in the Rockies, in a beautiful area to paint. It was glorious and so, so, so cold. I remember being miserably cold and totally happy, too. And I'll never forget it.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

"SOLITUDE" Gouache and Transparent Watercolor on Bristol Board 12 x 9"

HOW MANY YEARS?

This ancient building with its strong arch reaching to yet another ancient building begs me to drink it in. I am not trying to toot my own horn, but I want to say that this painting ranks right near the top of my favorite paintings that I've ever done. I loved how it turned out, but it was 'touch and go' a lot of the way.

The tedious taping process was used to create the painting, but then I delved into it more to adjust and fine tune it. Actually, I overworked it a lot and nearly killed it. I had to rebuild the left side twice and retrieve some sky area. The archway gave me fits trying to make it read right, especially with that little balcony area above it. Advice from other artists helped guide me, too.

Several times, I was sure the painting was lost, but fortunately, it revived. Major reconstruction was done in certain areas using gouache, an opaque watercolor that actually seemed to help the transparent areas in and around the big window to glow more. Because I really liked certain things about the painting, I couldn't give up on it. I wanted to see it succeed.

The shutters and windows are purposely crooked and askew, partially because I didn't start out with a well planned drawing, and partially because I was focused on making my love of this scene be more important than an accurate rendition of it. I'm posting it today because it so symbolizes the past 40 years my husband and I have been married.

Today's our 40th anniversary so I looked through my paintings trying to decide which one would best describe today. These old buildings, connected by an ancient archway, could be the two of us. Pretty much everything I've just typed about this painting and the struggle it was to create can also describe our marriage.

The light in the window is my favorite part of the painting, and maybe the archway represents the commitment it takes for two people to survive being together for this long??? One thing for sure, we're getting to be ancient, too. Or at least it feels that way at times.....

Deanna, who owns Waterlily Gallery where this is hanging, told me last weekend that a lady was very interested in buying this painting. I have a feeling I may want to keep it instead.

I wish a Happy Fathers' Day to all you dads today too!

"OLD ITALY" Transparent Watercolor on 140#HP Arches 22 x 15" NOT FOR SALE

HOOKED

Playing with an idea or theme can be like a story telling itself. The artist only holds the brush and goes with the ideas that come each moment.

This watercolor started out like that story waiting to be told. Using stamps I'd fashioned out of mat board as well as stencils I'd cut from sheets of plastic, I added and subtracted shapes and colors as it seemed right.

Both transparent watercolor as well as gouache watercolor made the process easy and fun. Gouache is made of the same dry pigment as transparent watercolor but has a type of chalk added, making it easier to lift and very opaque. I liked how the opaqueness of the gouache seemed to make the transparent watercolor seem even more luminous. The hardest part was knowing when to stop.

"HOOK, LINE & SINKER" Transparent Watercolor and Gouache Watercolor on 140# Arches Hot Press 15 x 11" SOLD

YUPO - MORE THAN A HISTORY LESSON

"PEARL OF GREAT PRICE" Transparent Watercolor, Gouache (Opaque Watercolor,) and Tube Acrylics on YUPO, 17 x 13"

I expected our visit to the memorial at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii to be a good history lesson, but I was taken off guard by my overwhelming emotional response. I'd always considered Pearl Harbor as part of my parents generation's history, too far removed to have much emotional impact in my life. The very strong reaction I had completely surprised me - - - feelings of pain, confusion, sorrow, anguish, compassion, hope, reverence, and awe washed through me while we were there. Painting this picture helped me express some of those powerful feelings.

This is the only painting on YUPO I've tried using other watermedia. The painting is five years old and still all in one piece, so I'm hoping all the watermedia stays on the surface. The flag effect was done using tube acrylics diluted with matte medium. After it dried, I thinned opaque gouache with water and painted over the acrylic to portray a watery blanket. The structures out of the water were created mostly with transparent watercolor. If you've been there, I hope this painting brings back some of the profound feelings you may have had. Someday there will be no more wars.

PATTERNS AND TEXTURES

"AFTER WORK" Transparent Watercolor with Gouache (Opaque Watercolor) on Arches CP140# - 16x11"

A friend took a picture of two men in a bar in South Africa. The surroundings were fairly stark, and the patterns created by the bottles, the shirts, arms, heads and hat really caught my eye. Based on my impression of the scene, I began this painting.

I love mud cloth and want to try to make it sometime, but for now, I imitated some mud cloth patterns throughout the painting. Since giraffes are one of my two favorite animals, they had to be included. They live on the continent and have unique patterns. I like the tallest one between the two men. He seems to be their lookout.

... textures and patterns, shapes and colors, edges and lines ... such neat 'toys' to play with when expressing thoughts and emotions with paint!

MORE EXPLORATION

What a wonderful opportunity artists have - to be able to express their feelings in a tangible way. This painting started out as an expression of misery and depression, but I think it resulted in a pleasing painting full of hope and peace, a strong contrast to how I felt when I began it. While working, I noticed that my focus turned to creativity and delight instead of the destructive thoughts I'd been entertaining. The angels in the painting were an unexpected joyful surprise, too. Thank you, God!

"ANGELS AMONG US" Transparent Watercolor with Conte Crayons on 80#HP Strathmore Aquarius, 15 x 11"

SEAWORTHY

Several years ago, I tried gouache, aka opaque watercolors, combined with transparent watercolors. FUN! At one time I thought the only way to go was transparent watercolor, but so many new avenues opened up when I became more flexible. Now, whatever it takes to make good art is what I'll pursue. I liked the playfulness of this painting, and it felt like play when I painted it, too.
"DEEP BLUE SEA" on Arches 140#CP 29 x 20" SOLD