A Tin Among Cans

Basement #2 (A Tin Among Cans)   watercolor on Khadi   18.75 x 28

Another composition from my very very very old basement!  While in high school, I used to freak out every weekend trying to decide upon a subject worthy of my attention to paint for the required Monday art project...something so meaningful or so beautiful that it would initiate "pause".  That all seems so funny now, as my work is based on my own perception of the reality, rather than the subject itself.

This work was broadly painted with watercolor on Khadi paper...my first experiment with this luxurious handmade paper from India.  It is an intimate relationship, and one entered into with some trepidation, getting to know and appreciate the qualities of an unfamiliar support.  I like this work (a lot), although I feel that from here on, I will use Khadi for more delicate subject matters.  I hesitated a bit as to whether or not to include typography from the paint cans and decided against...typography (left brain) always steals the show and takes the visual power away from the inherent rhythms.  A visitor to our local gallery expressed this same opinion a few months ago....she paused in front of a very conceptual work that included stenciled lettering.  She offered her opinion that the "readable symbols" caused her appreciation of the work to come to a complete halt.  Ah....something to consider.

Beer and Peanuts

Beer and Peanuts   watercolor   13.5 x 8

is the result of a paint-a-bottle challenge..so many ellipses, and each one tilted toward the horizon line!  Not to mention the challenge of a label which also involves ellipses and the additional task of rendering typography in a convincing yet not-too-detailed way.  For me, the peanuts were rendered quickly and left untouched...those passages are usually the most convincing.  The background was the toughest.  The first pass was a cool blue-green hue which, along the way, seemed unsatisfactory to me.  The graded orange wash was subsequently layered over it.  I am satisfied.