Farmer Brown

Farmer Brown   mixed on paper   26.75 x 12

was an experimental work....then aren't they all?  The reference was an old family photo.  I have always been taking with white shirts and, in this case, on watercolor paper, the shirt, with very little description, is the cherished white of the paper.  I have been so very interested of late in simple shapes, so that the pants, shoes and hat are flatly rendered.  Details, which  support the three-dimensional aspect, have been used sparingly in order to achieve a greater simplicity.  The ground was achieved by printing with relief ink onto the surface and scraped upwards while still tacky.  Mediums used:  pastel, conte, watercolor and relief ink.  It took all of that to achieve the feel that I was after. 

West End,

West End (NC)   watercolor   25.5 x 15

North Carolina is a sleepy little town we pass through on the way to visit my husband's parents.  Usually the weather is sunny, hot and humid.  But the day I ventured into the town with my camera moodiness prevailed...the feel was impending storminess.  Water tanks dotting the skies in various towns throughout our country.  Attention demanded and attention paid.

This month The Water Tank Project will wrap more than 100 of the city's iconic rooftop water tanks in artists' canvases, versions of which will be auctioned to raise funds for projects in Tanzania and other places facing dire water shortages.  Each American uses about 100 gallons of water per day, as compared with two to five gallons used by the average person in sub-Saharan Africa.

Water....a most precious resource.  Attention must be paid.

Tucked Away

Tucked Away   Watercolor   14 x 11

is the title.  And this work was indeed tucked away for several years.  When we artists look at previous work, I believe that we cannot help but think that with our current level of experience, the work would be vastly improved.  Sometimes this is achievable...sometimes not.  If the entire work suffers from the pieces/parts syndrome (no cohesion), the work is probably best left alone....allowing for, at the very least, a recognition of what went wrong and the application of that knowledge in future work.  In this case, the fix was a bit simpler.  The cropping was wrong, in my opinion.  Too many midtones....not enough dark passages. 

 One must be aware, however, that in gains, there are also losses.  In looking at the original file, now, I see a freshness of color that was eradicated.  OK, then.

Note to self:  let sleeping paintings lie.

Stacks of Things

Clay Pots   watercolor/paper   19.5 x 11

intrigue me...they are vertical, yet precarious, perhaps a symbol, for me, of the human condition.  One artist in my painting class, in a search for self-definition, has declared her love of the effects of light.  That is, for most artists, the common, yet difficult, quest.  Light creates beautiful patterns on our subjects, as well as transient warm to cool transitions.  I, too, love those patterns as they help to define the planes of my subject matter.  But there I must draw the line, as my love of the more simple shapes and the abstract-ness of my picture plane takes precedence.  For this work, I photographed my subject matter in strong light on my patio from several angles, then selected the one that thrilled me the most.  Clay pots hold great interest for me...we use them.  They crack and break.  We use bits and pieces of them in the bottoms of new plants.  They are weathered and imperfect.

Ah, yes, a metaphor for the human condition.

Clay Pots.