Christmas Chaos

Christmas Chaos   watercolor on Yupo   8 x 8

Like it or not, the heightened festivities also come with more to do, more to make, more to feel.  And, yes, I send too many cards, put up too many ornies and bake too many cookies.  Untangling strings of lights and following unfamiliar recipes can be frustrating, for sure.  But when all is said and done, chaos gives way to the altered experience of the holiday season, and, briefly, takes us out of the mundane.

How fitting that this work was painted on Yupo paper, a synthetic paper with a surface not unlike wax paper....control is forgone.  Accidents rule.

Relish the chaos.  Relish the glitter.

Oh yeah.

Christmas Chaos

Three Ornaments   watercolor   6 x 9

is part and parcel of my life at this time of year...in almost everyone's life, probably.  Boxes of ornaments emerge from the attic and wrapping paper rolls surround shopping bags and strings of lights that always seem to be tangled.  Eventually, the chaos gives way to some sort of holiday order, designed to brighten our lives, and those of our guests, during this dark season.  "Three Ornaments" was painted as an after-Christmas exercise before these vintage glass balls were put away.  I like this painting as I feel that it was successful in portraying the translucent feel of the ornaments.  I resisted the desire to over-describe and over-paint.  This was painted on a sheet of Indian Village handmade paper that I had on hand.  It was made in India.  I haven't seen it around in a while and not sure if it is still manufactured.  It is heavy and has a distinct laid texture.  It is virtually impossible to push the paint around which is per usual on Strathmore or Arches.  The paint has settled into the grooves of the paper quite unevenly which, I think, adds to its charm.

Seeing the light reflected off of these hard surfaces gives me such pleasure....so much pleasure, in fact, that I am willing to deal with the chaos.

Let the Wild Rumpus Begin!...

Christmas Chaos   Watercolor on Yupo   8 x 8

Holiday season is a crazy mix of emotions!  The extreme childlike joy that the season provides is immeasurable.  Likewise,  the frustrations.  We have a holiday tradition here that requires us to fix everything that has been functionally broken for the past year....all in the month of December.  Add to that the tempestuously tangled coils of holiday lights that you remember neatly coiling and organizing the January past.  How does it happen?  Holiday decorations defy organization entirely. (or the possibility of attic gremlins)

"Christmas Chaos" was painted at the end of last holiday season using a few bulbs that had hidden during attic reassignment.  Yupo paper provides the texture.  In fact, one simply cannot escape texture when using this paper, as the surface is a slippery plate.  Adding more pigments always always disturbs what is underneath.  Smooth passages are impossible.  Although this paper is not my favorite, I can understand how using it in certain instances will support chaotic intentions......

such as holiday decorations.

And, as far as those cheap light strings that work only for one year (or half of them go out).....I vow not to purchase them any more.  Please recycle them at :

Recycle holiday lights


All lights sent for recycling should be sent to:
HolidayLEDs.com Recycling Program
C/O Classic Turning, Inc.
4905 James McDivitt Street
Jackson, MI 49201-8958

Texture...

Christmas Chaos   Watercolor on Yupo   8 x 8

is inherent when painting on Yupo.  I like texture in small doses but prefer it when played against the calm of a flatly painted area.  Right now I am picturing a greeting card that featured an elderly man dressed in stripes, checks and patterns of all kinds.  The greeting is "don't drink and dress".  Very funny.  Too many textures seem agitating.  Stories can get lost in texture.  I have come to believe that simple forms work out well on Yupo.  To the right are examples of our holiday still life paintings on Yupo.