I continue to explore my new watercolor tubes.
I focus on not judging what I see happening
but on watching closely how the water & paints react.
It's like watching raindrops on the windshield,
slow, careful observation of a drop as it morphs & changes.
I ponder:
What is the difference between being influenced by
& learning from an artist~ & copying them?
Artist Mattina Blue, in a brief workshop, had a big influence
on my waterpaint experimenting.
To see her work, click HERE.
I loved her designs & motifs,
but I knew I didn't want to copy them.
What I got from her was a spirit of allowing the water
to carry the paint,
of allowing the colors to respond to one another.
(Fun when working on a slanted surface.)
Mattina told me to work in series,
each painting leading to the next.
What will be discovered along the way?
I think it is enjoying the evolution,
rather than just a brief dabble of something new.
A spirit of "More will be revealed."
Motifs & designs emerge by themselves.
All of us have our own.
One of mine: Light peeking from behind darker lines,
In this season I see it in sun on thinning colored leaves,
behind dark branches & twigs.
These "plaids" have other meanings for me too,
which come to me after I'm done painting.
They are grids, they are boxes,
& even when I don't know what they mean,
they are pleasing to draw.
While painting (I try) to think of nothing
but what I'm observing,
& this meditative focus calms me, fills me with serenity.
