The Bent Petal
Since mid-September, I have been working on a series of small paintings, mostly in gouache paint and watercolor. I have a portable, folding watercolor set that I can take with me anywhere, and I can carry the little gouache tubes in my pencil box.
Euphorbia (Abstract)
I may never have the delicacy of a traditional watercolorist. From painting with acrylics, I’ve developed a tendency to grind the paint into the paper. Working with acrylics that way, you can get all kinds of subtle textures and cool integrations of color. Do it with watercolor, and you get an image that looks like it’s been through the laundry. Fortunately, a little gouache, which is like watercolor only more opaque, restores some smoothness and sheen.
Valiant Pansy
I’ve shed a few tears over this series, mainly because people seem to glance over them so quickly, often responding with noncomittal nods and hmms. I started wondering about them myself. There’s nothing grand or complicated about them, and no shortage in the world of pictures of flowers. Still, there’s something to them, and I feel confident of them now, even if I can’t articulate what that something is.
