Basement #1 (Drying out the Crawl Space)

Basement #1 (Drying out the Crawl Space)   watercolor   26.5 x 19

We had a bit of a mess in our old farmhouse this past December.  Due to an unfortunate "imperfect storm" of events, our crawl space was filled with water.  The clean-up entailed lots of work...removing many large trash bags filled with water-logged insulation.  We made every attempt, and still do, to dry out this nearly inaccessible space.  It was during this stressful time that I happened upon the notion of "beauty in the basement"...using the camera to compose scenes that one would not ordinarily consider to be beautiful.  Actually, I found several spots ripe for the painting.

This fan is perched atop a step ladder, providing an airing out of the affected space.  As I am not a fan of using masking fluid, I knew that the fan would be a challenge, and knew that, given my process, all of the plastic slats need not be rendered to perfection...just a few.  I used a flat brush and a light mix of cerulean blue to help me see the negative areas....I knew that they would be covered up in subsequent layers.  All in all, I am happy with the work.  It certainly was quite a challenge!

So are old houses.

To masque or not to masque

Dancing Shoes   watercolor   9.5 x 13

Watercolor is a wonderful medium. Most watercolorists feel a sense of satisfaction when they "savor the whites", i.e. preserve white areas of the paper that sparkle. Wow....that is so much easier said than done! I gave up using masking fluid (a.k.a. liquid frisket) years ago as the process was messy, awkward and left behind the most awkward shapes. It was done with a paint brush coated with soap which ended up ruined. This year I rediscovered masque....in the form of the Masquepen, which has a needle-like dispenser, making the process more agreeable. The dots on "Dancing Shoes" were formed with this magical substance that is fed onto the paper like glue, left to dry, then subsequently peeled off. Even though I am not a great fan of masking fluid, I have changed my attitude about it....we artists need all the help we can get!