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.

Perfect or Cracked?

Cracked   watercolor   9 x 13.5

I think that we have all seen shoppers opening up cartons of eggs to check for cracks. I am one. After all, the cracks allow bacteria to enter the egg. The oozy yolk sometimes causes the egg to stick in the carton rendering it useless. Who wants to pay for an imperfect egg?

Art is yet another matter. I have always found the imperfect things in our world to be far more interesting. In class, we tackled egg cartons.....despite their seeming simplicity, they are so very complex in their two-point -perspective and their construction. Imperfect things seem to suspend the status quo of daily living, adding spice. They shake it up. I love imperfect things. "Cracked" is the resultant painting.