"Adam Connected" is the result of a live model situation at our last watercolor class. Adam is a high school art student who will be off to college next year. And, of course, he came along with his phone, the constant companion that he caressed during the pose and more actively interacted with during the breaks. The face and hands are painted transparently. The clothing becomes 2-dimensional as a result of underplaying all of the wrinkles, patterns and shadows that, for me, become just too complex visually. I guess these days I am delving further and further into simplification, which allows for more creativity throughout. The background shapes and values simply happened, in my own consideration and re-consideration of the picture plane. I have no need to paint all of the minutia involved in the reality of the scene. The background is painted opaquely with the addition of gouache, which allows for almost endless reinterpretation. So here I am again. Fiddling with the polar notions of opacity and transparency. It seems right to me. Back to where I started....but, of course, with more experience and, I believe, more confidence.
