Sometimes you just have to mess around to stir things up a bit. I had a dream a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to paint it. And by the way, though I've been asked it often, I rarely if ever paint my dreams. They're way too boring and prosaic to make good images. I mean, unless you like to see a painting of an artist freaking out after forgetting to pack or ship things to a convention (That's an illustrator's version of the stereotype "Student's Nightmare"...you know, going to school and finding out that it's final exam time for that history class you never signed up for, and by the way, it's in French).
Anyway, getting sidetracked. So I DID have a dream I wanted to paint. But it involved much darker tones and saturation than I usually get. So I dug through the closet and pulled out everything that looked like it might be useful, which included: Stamp pad refill ink, India ink, metallic watercolor medium (that a friend gave me from a stash he found in his closet, thank you Stephen), granulation medium, frisket, rubbing alcohol, and scrap pieces of illustration board, some with washes that I had started once upon a time then discarded.
I set about making a mess with those. And after a half hour of fun, I had this:
I propped them up to let the ink drip down the page (ala Jackson Pollack & UC Berkeley's stuck-in-the-60's art classes!) making bigger runny messes on my desk and drawing boards. After that, I walked away and waited for them to dry.
Over the next week, I've done these pieces with the results of that initial ink-mess. With the addition of Daniel Smith watercolor ground (for the broad areas of white), white gel pen, and watercolors. My initial impulse to paint that dream hasn't really materialized in any of these, but they've spawned a host of other images. It's a very un-planned process. I'm just looking into the shapes that the texture of drying paint and ink leaves, and then pulling out details and focusing them into images.
These have all been relatively small pieces. Hopefully you'll be seeing some of these techniques combined with my standard Steph-watercolors for some larger and more ambitious images in the near future. I have some ideas of where to go with it, but so far it's rather nebulous.
I am absolutely loving these pieces. Very different from your usual paintings where things are more precise and detailed. I'm looking forward see to where these take you.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm looking forward to doing more of them too.
DeleteLove these. Hard to believe that 'playing' for you still turns up such wonderful images. You truly are an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteYour results here are definitely a different flavor than we’re used to seeing in your work, but it’s also really refreshing. This is actually a great technique for practicing (or relearning) spontaneity. I know that I usually get very caught up in a structured production rhythm of thumbnail->pencil work->transfer-> painting and this ink wash/random stuff I find in my art supplies drawer method sounds like a lot of fun and a wonderful exercise. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteOH yes, it's definitely good for practicing spontaneity. I also have a problem with that usually. And after doing a series of large paintings especially, you get so bogged down in refining details and repeatedly redrawing from sketch through transfer to final painting, that you sometimes lose this wonderful life and edge that spontaneity gives.
DeleteI love that you are experimenting with chaos. Giving over to the chance and accepting that sometimes it's poo. At least I find it to be so though nothing here is at all pooey.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if you ever struggle with accepting the work you make as opposed to the work you imagine. My mother uses a great analogy about accepting the kid you actually have as opposed to the baby you imagined having. The imagined child or artwork is perfect without the draw backs of finances, materials, personality or even gravity. Meeting the art/child that truly exists involves a grieving process for the imagined child/art and acceptance.
I hope that made sense.
It's more of a struggle with the work as I'm making. Almost every painting I do goes through a phase of "Oh my god, I hate this piece! What did I do to it?!" Unless it's a super safe one. But you don't really expand with safety.
DeleteI hope you will be doing more of these small pieces. I am really loving these. I am working on putting together a matted and framed collage of your originals. I have four so far, one painting and three inks. One or two more paintings will round out my collection nicely. Not that I'd stop there. ;)
ReplyDeleteOh yes, definitely doing more. Posted one earlier today in fact. :) They're really fun for me, and kind of helps me loosen up.
DeleteFantastically! It really looks like something from deep dreams on Sunday.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of granulation medium are you using? I've been wanting to play with it for a while now.
ReplyDeleteIt's not actually a granulation medium. The granulation is happening due to separating when I mix india ink with daniel smith metallic watercolor powders. It was an accidental discovery, but I really like the effect. I haven't yet tried if it will happen with other types of ink, but I don't think so.
DeleteAh! Okay, thank you so much! I've been trying to do a granulation effect for a while with the non-granulating colors and hoped they had a medium for that. Thanks!
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