Orange E

Orange E   charcoal/watercolor   13.5 x 11

is our wonderful 7-year-old grandson, whose snaggle-tooth grin could not be ignored.  This drawing is, and was intended to be soft.  It is rendered in charcoal on Rives BFK, a highly-rated paper, usually used for printmaking.  It's soft surface and weight was perfect for this project.  At the end, I decided to use watercolor for his sweatshirt, as E.'s favorite color is orange, which he frequently wears.

In terms of photo references, I will admit that the lighting was not perfect, as the photo was taken during a Facetime chat...an amazing process, that I could never have dreamed to be possible.  We take what we can get these days.  Of course, for a dramatic rendering, where shadows and lights create a more interesting patterning on the face, a studio set-up with lighting and a more considered picture-taking process would have possible. 

I believe that, in this case, the softer presentation of everyday lighting worked out well.

And....btw....those baby-teeth-hangers-on have now been replaced with some emerging larger pearly-whites.  I love this age.  Enthusiasm.  A lightness of spirit.  Hope.

Harbinger

Harbinger   waterclor   6 x 9

is a perfect description for the robin, whose presence marks the onset of warmer weather.  This small work is another warm-up to reacquaint myself with the watercolor medium.  As I painted this small wonder, I cam to realize how very round they are!

This was an additional challenge for me, as I am more comfortable with large brushes than small, large formats than small.  And...retaining the "whites" is always the greatest challenge!

I am pleased.

Switching Gears

Fistful   watercolor   6 x 9

from oils to watercolors.  Where I live, in Ohio, the year is divided into four distinct seasons...weather-wise, food-wise, and attitude.  This I love.  Because my painting loves are equally divided between oils and watercolors, I switch up mediums seasonally.  I have tried to do both simultaneously and it just doesn't work....for me.  Different feels, different clean ups, different approaches.  Too confusing.

Enter Spring.....I decided to do just a couple of small ditties to whet my watercolor appetite and to rid myself of the fear of the white paper.  No formal set-ups....just a fistful of blooms from our yard.  I was so happy to be painting this work and opposed the transparent pigments of the blooms with a more opaque handling of the background....just chalky like I like it.  Fistful. 

The Paper at the Back of the Closet

Kick   mixed/paper   27.5 x 18

was given to me many years back.  Forgotten. What is it?  Giant roll.  Heavy heavy.  A bit of texture.  Feels like watercolor paper.  No label.

And so, given our current circumstances, I decided to give it a try. What was meant to be a tender charcoal drawing morphed into the unintended...strong, aggressive.  No pigment could be moved around.  The blending stump was useless.  Watercolor stayed put and immediately sunk in.  No ability to wipe off splatters.

I must say that in the past, I have been quite excited and stimulated by the feel of a new ground as it allows for a bit of chaos, providing a novel experience.  In fact, I have prided myself on this flexibility.  But here I reached my limit.  The struggle was almost unbearable. 

Nevertheless, I took the work to finish. While I am pleased with the result, I am not anticipating using it again. 

Lesson to be learned:  label all papers when you can. I believe that it was unsized. 

Flight of Fancy

Ascension   oil/canvas   24 x 48 x 1.5

This painting, is, was a flight of fancy for me.  While based in reality (the reference photos were shot at the parade in University Circle  Cleveland several years back), its intention is simply "upwards".  During this weird time period of sickness and fear, I needed this flight of fancy to maintain equilibrium, a return to a positive outlook when faced with so much turmoil and distress.

Actually, my brain takes MANY flights of fancy each day.  I am not sure if this happens to anyone else, or to everyone.  But I can say for certain, that these little mind travels are imperative to my emotional well being.  It is only when my mind is otherwise occupied with sociability and tasks that life becomes, well, dull and static. 

And, as sychronicity would have it, I am currently reading my first ever surrealistic work, Nadja by Andre Breton.  He questions whether or not we are defined by the lives we lead on a daily basis OR by the surprises, the flights of fancy, that we take.

And, so it is that this work is a bit of, I believe, surrealism on my part.  My flight of fancy.