Clearcut 01 details, watercolors – work in progress details

Oystercatchers, 18H x 24W inches watercolors on 140 lb cold pressed. Framed size 27H x 33W inches, white mat, white wood frame with crackle finish.

Showcased in the J. Mane Gallery’s Fins, Feathers and Fur 2020 exhibition.

This is finished, although I’d love to merge the contrasts somehow. I don’t want to mess up the implied light though, or the initial spontaneous brush strokes, like in the background waves. Every new mark at this stage makes a difference too, and in context to the whole, even small changes affect other areas that need to adjust accordingly.

Before you know it, colors mud together and beautiful open spaces disappear. I’m going to take direction from my most recent pieces, which I feel were over-worked, and quit while I’m ahead.
Challenge is exciting…particularly with watercolors. Whereas with other media mistakes can be erased or covered easily and change can occur throughout the process without much hesitation, with watercolors a person needs to know a subject well – or at least be able to fake it with confidence!
Finding a way to make each painting unique means following cues happening within the work itself. In this painting, the most remarkable thing occurred after the the first phase of production.

Because this subject was unfamiliar, I started by first penciling in the shapes, wondering what I could do to make this less boring – you know, not just be a picture of Oystercatchers. When erasing the pencil marks in order to see what the paint had established, little rolls of eraser pieces scattered here and there. Sprinkled impromptu around the birds, those tiny eraser shreds added a pronounced and unexpected zing of life to the composition. First thinking “what have I got to lose?”, the eraser-pieces were mimicked in paint around the birds. I’m tempted to make those strokes more prominent, but a small success is in order, so will use this fun technique in another painting.

North Saanich Poppies, BC Canada – 14H x 20W inches W/C on 140 lb. cold pressed premium. Framed size 20H x 26W inches with white mat, white wood frame with crackle finish.

Snow day, Poppy buds, Day Lily – 4 x 6 inch watercolor gestures, no longer than 30 minutes each.

Bee Balm, Hydrangeas, and Tiger Lilies 4 x 6 inch watercolor gestures, working no longer than 30 minutes each.

Mt. Walker, WA wild Rhododendrons, 15H x 22W inches WC on 140 lb cold pressed premium. Details:

Japanese Maple, 20W x 15H inches watercolors on 140 lb. cold pressed premium work in progress.

Dahlias, 22H x 28W inches, modeling paste, acrylics and oil pastel on canvas board

Photography Fits!

Monarda finished, 24H x 28W inches acrylics on canvas board. Total size 32H x 36W inches with frame of 2″ black suede mat, gold trim then 4-inch red suede surround and gold frame.