Reboot

Reboot   watercolor   10 x 13

Nothing is a more lively still life subject than an old pair of boots or shoes that still hold the forms of the wearer's feet! After all, Van Gogh did it, right?

My subject is a thrifted pair of Fiorentini Baker boots that I have worn for many years.  These are the boots that are so comfortable that you don't notice them at all.

After exploring a multitude of ways  to arrange 2 boot shapes in the picture plane, I settled on this, which seems to created a circular movement to me.  I am a layerist.  Layering paint creates complex color, complex neutrals specifically, as well as a feeling of the passage of time.  Pure sparkling watercolors are not my thing.  At one point, the color was actually "power washed" in my basement laundry tub.  This procedure removes paint, disrupts the surface and creates texture as well as SURPRISES!  (Note:  I never scrub or touch the surface.  The force of the water as it hits the surface can be controlled by the amount of water used as well as your fingers over the nozzle.  

I am pleased and feel that my  intentions were achieved.

Pink Tulips

Pink Tulips   watercolor on Khadi   13 x 13

underwent quite a journey in its making.  My original idea was to keep all values lighter with the wish that the overall atmosphere would be one of light.  However, I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO DO A DRAWING....BIG MISTAKE.  The tulips were complete and played with strokes of blue violet and an off-white-warm.  The painting was matted and framed.  As I passed by the work over the weekend, I felt the repeated strong urge to make the work mine, to utilize the strong value interludes that make a work more powerful and more visible from a distance.  In addition, I felt that the work was just too greeting-card-like...with a lightness and airiness that made it seem too fluff.  So, the background was washed down and the idea of a raisin and mahogany-colored background seemed to lead the way.  I began a series of thin washes over the next couple of days, each layer leading the way to the color that was in my head...more warm, more brown, more pink, etc. Finally, the implication of a vase shape was pulled down with my sponge. 

The end result is a far cry from my original idea....a bit more formal than my usual, but more becoming, I think, to the lush pink tulips.  I had been wanting to try this layering of washes for years.  This painting provided the opportunity to give it a try.  This is a technique used by watercolor artist Catherine Anderson whose work I explored many years ago. Nothing ventured.  Nothing gained.