watercolor 99 10 x 13” stage 1
2:42 PM: in an unusual pt move, i started a new watercolor mid-afternoon; a time when my energy is usually on the downhill and i don’t feel the freshness needed to start dreaming something new. today, for whatever reason, was different. so i started work on stage 1 of watercolor 99, which is almost 100! 100 watercolors? well, i’ve been making one or two a day ever since i began having problems with my shoulder back in march. i’ve made many watercolors in my career, but only now have i discovered the magic of the medium. it allows, as i’ve said many times in this blog, for me to walk the line between representation and abstraction and to observe with increasing accuracy, when my mind is taking over and wanting to pull me down the rabbit hole of slavish adherence to description. in watercolor, the brushstroke is everything. which includes how “loaded” the brush is, meaning how much or little water. the little pans of the medium dry up the next day, and need coaxing with a full brush of water to regain the ideal consistency for painting.
darker shadowy bits need to take place over a lighter wash of color, and that must dry completely before working into it. a good time for a little snack or a look at the future radar to see if thunderstorms are on their way.
some level of planning is required, in other words. but that too is very fluid. an unexpected whim to use a color not normally employed can enter the picture. as can a new way of singing leaf. or rock. and, much like a thunderstorm that was predicted to strike 10 miles further north at 4pm, a bright yellow can unexpectedly appear at that same hour, and with equal power.
2010 watercolor, private collection, denver
1:22 PM: moments ago i was going texting back & forth with a friend in denver. she sent me this image of one of my 2010 watercolors in her collection, which i had completely forgotten about. time to organize my files?
watercolor 98 at 1pm, following a further tweak
12:55 PM: one more tweak to integrate the new rock on the lower right into the composition, and i think we’re there!
it’s all very subjective, but i think i can safely say i didn’t fuck it up! time to start a new one.
12:14 PM: a tweaked watercolor 97, adding a rock on the lower right. jury’s still out on whether or not it was better without that addition. i may need to make a few more changes for it to work. stay tuned….
so about an hour later, i was able to make those final marks, which you see here in the 1pm version and, indeed, the new rock on the lower right is now fully integrated into the whole, and sings along with its brothers and sisters. same tune. same rhythm. not an easy accomplishment, dipping back into that same energy without thinking about it. doing, doing, doing. and that, by the way, is the philosophy underlying our educational product, soon to be introduced into a number of schools here in our valley.
11:48 AM: here’s what the framed watercolor 92 looks like, as it will appear in the carbondale august exhibition.