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

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!