Bully Bunny OR A Preconceived Notion Run Amuck

Bully Bunny   watercolor/relief ink   20 x 10

Rabbits are sweet herbivores, right?  Well...this bunny threw me for a loop.  Most often, I have somewhat of a preconceived notion of the way a work will look upon completion.  Oh, yes, it varies SOMEWHAT.  But, in this case, I was completely surprised as the work twisted and turned and evolved in a completely surprising way.  No predictability here.  The rabbit painting in my brain was a bit more watercolory...more botanical...more realistic.  But at each turn, my personal aesthetic was at odds with the realism of the subject.  The realistic bunny morphed into an Easter Bunny!   While I am not a big fan of the start-over, as the do-overs always seem to follow the same path as the original.  In this case, there were two, yes two, do-overs.  My own sense of correctness was stronger than the realistic representation.

All I can say is SURPRISE!  Yes, bunnies are sweet.  But in this case, this bunny was a bully!

ah, the best laid plans...

Garden Bench   mixed/paper   20.5 x 27

We need to be flexible.  No painting ever unfolds exactly the way we see it in our minds. Sometimes there isn't even a plan. For some unknown reason, watercolorists have a difficult time adding other mediums to the mix, as transparent watercolor, the pure way to work, is considered by some to be preferable.  But sometimes the limitations of the medium snag the progress.  "Garden Bench" started as a large watercolor.  I didn't have a preconceived notion of its appearance.  But I knew that I wanted the end result to have a sun-parched, chalky feel.  At some point in its evolution, I added gouache.  That helped, but I seemed to spiral on and on without arriving.  Enter Christmas season and the painting was put away for reconsideration.  Come February, I had had it.  What did I have to lose? Pastel was added, and washed down with water and a large brush.  The resultant painting had the feel that I wanted.  I arrived.....through the back door.