What do you do when your brain feels deflated? How do you keep up with the pace of the world when all momentum, body and mind, wants to take a multi year long break?
You re-learn to paint!
I have used water colors before, but only for school assignment--never anything personal. So I sat down a month or two ago with a pile of water color poster board and some cheap water colors and here's what I found:
Water colors are difficult, beautiful, and instantly gratifying. In one sitting, I could start and complete a painting. Did they look nice? No. Regardless, it's done, and you move on.
This was my first one:
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| A jelly fish? Abstracted? |
In this instance, I was seeing what the materials can do. How saturated can they get? How dark, and how light? What does white do? My favorite part of this piece-of-shit painting is the upper left corner. Somehow an underwater kelp forest appeared, which I will probably turn into a piece on its' own.
Playtime is so important.
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| A glass sponge...practice for an upcoming commission. |
These next few, I might have posted earlier. I've managed to collect a small assortment of Calcite crystals in my studio that, along with laser pointers, have been a fun source of inspiration for me recently. I painted a few and learned along the way the importance of simplifying what you see and making committed decisions about lines:
Another great thing about water colors -- blank space can be utilized as an important part of composition. You know, serious zen stuff.
The last of my "early" water colors is this weird little gem. It's supposed to be the water table under New York City and the pipelines leading up through our buildings. I wish I hadn't included a badly painted plant on the side, but now I know.
More to come soon....
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