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Monday, February 20, 2012

The Leap into the Unknown....a work with gold leaf...Paisley Shawl

Paisley Shawl   Watercolor/Mixed with Gold Leaf   28 x 20
My New Year's art resolution for 2011 was to finish each work to the best of my ability....to consider all possibilities.  My goal was to eliminate those "just fine" works and to push them into works that excite me.  Very often, that takes a work into a mixing of mediums.  "Paisley Shawl" was a "just fine" watercolor.  The work was executed according to my sketch, my plan.  It became rather dark even though, design-wise, it was in most ways what I had intended.  It still sat in my studio over the holidays almost begging for a makeover.  I used gouache to lighten and opacify (my own word) the background.  At that point, it started to look a bit iconic, so I went with that idea.   Imitation gold leaf was applied in a horizontal strip and in bits and pieces down the shawl.  I became so excited I could hardly contain myself.  After all, isn't this what art is?  A shaking up that challenges the static  technical application that becomes part of the artistic rhythm when one has painted so many paintings. 

"Paisley Shawl" became more dynamic, more interesting and more modern in my opinion.  Oh, the stimulation!