To Blog or Not
I am torn as to whether I should write any type of blog. Definitely out of my comfort zone. I have hesitated since I absolutely know that it will be sporadic at best. So, occasionally I will post something I think you might find interesting. Please feel free to comment and let me know if I should continue. If you would like to send me your email address I’ll put you on a mailing list and let you know when I’ve posted something new in the blog.
Second chances
“New Beginnings”
1st Place CVWS annual show, Open category
16”h X 20”w X 1.5”d
Acrylic on canvas
Giving new life to your old paintings.
Rejected! But why? Was it simply because two were submitted and only one could be selected? Both paintings were trees. Were the colors too strong, the shapes unappealing? Was the other painting just better in the eyes of the judge. Maybe, the other painting, that incorporated seeds to represent the dates on a date palm, “Date Night”, better fit the shows’ experimental theme. Date Night sold at that show.
So many questions and what to do.
I usually enter a painting several times before I give up on it. Maybe, it gets in a non-juried show but never sells. Most of the venues I use only allow a painting to be shown once and after 2-3 years it is no longer eligible. Usually it then becomes a “bin” painting. Matted and unframed. A bargain. Canvas paintings are not allowed in the bins, too bulky. Now what?
So, that’s what happened to “Midnight Complements”, unsold, expired. A painting created in 2017, that I liked, became difficult to continue to store.
Next step, paint over it. I did not gesso it but allowed some of the colors to show through.
It became an untitled floral and a disappointment. Way too busy. No contrast. Boring. Another year or so passed. One more chance for it to reveal itself. Throw caution to the wind. Play & experiment. Make bigger shapes with lots of contrast, add drips, calm the background by eliminating details and adding darker colors, add visual texture and patterns, finally outline with Prussian blue. Why not? Thus, “New Beginnings”, came into being. Its debut earned it a 1st place award. WOW!
On the opening day of the show my son and his wife sent me flowers for my birthday. They had not seen the painting. The bouquet looks very much like the imaginary flowers in my painting. These floral shapes seemed to have manifested themselves into my life. Perhaps the canvas just didn’t want to be a tree.
“Midnight Complements”
unnamed start
“New Beginnings”
Granulation
It all begins with an idea.
When I set up my watercolor palette I prefer granulating colors. If you aren’t familiar with graduation it is when a pigment separates into the colors used to make that formulation. You need to use a lot of water or granulating fluid for best results. For example, Cascade Green by Daniel Smith, will show the blue and green that make up that tube color. Unfortunately yellows and reds don’t granulate. The sample charts pictured are too small to see the granulation effectively. If you want to test your colors create a bigger swatch. Most artist grade watercolors have a code on the tube to identify whether it granulates. G = granulating, NG = non-granulating. Give them a try. They are beautiful in a juicy watercolor painting.
Planning a watercolor palette.