I am also painting on a different paper than I normally use, Fabriano 140 lb cold press. I generally use Arches 140 lb cold press which I love. But since I was using the acrylic I wanted the paint to sit on top of the surface a little more. Worked well for the acrylic part. It is a little frustrating now that I am doing the layered watercolor stuff. I thought about painting the entire painting with acrylic but I have so much more control with watercolor… funny right? Most people think of it as so unforgiving. But it is what I know and love. I love the brushes and the paper.
Well, I did paint the background fast. And I really like it. Maybe a little too much as I am concerned about messing it up… not where you want to be when you are trying to explore & experiment.
Words of advice to experiment & explore play through my mind like a broken record. I decided to paint the “background” soft-focus areas with acrylic treated like watercolor. I have incorporated acrylic into several of my recent watercolors. But mainly to get flat even skies. I am not concerned about following the strict rules of transparent watercolor that have guided me in the past. But this painting is a departure. I wanted to paint the background wet-into-wet, something that I don’t do a lot with watercolor. I am more of a layer upon layer painter. But I really wanted this to be freer but with the colors very bright. I also want to paint faster!
The flower is from the garden at the Getty Museum. It is a small but lovely garden. It always inspires me. That was last summer. This summer the flowers were all over the place. It seemed to be a particularly abundant year. The jacaranda trees seemed to be in bloom longer this summer too. All the purple reminded me daily of my desire to paint this painting. But I was painting for another show… Finally got to it.
This is a painting I have wanted to painting for awhile. I was painting "Bob’s" and "More Bob" among other paintings for an up coming show. It was nice to have the focus but I kept thinking about this flower in particular. In general I like to go back and forth between flowers or other nature/organic paintings and urban/man made subjects. Other than my poppy trash can I hadn’t painted a nature painting for a long time.
I had the good fortune to be selected to transform a 55-gallon trashcan into a work of art for the City of Santa Clarita, CA. I chose to paint California Poppies on my trashcan. Each spring out in the Antelope Valley the poppies bloom and the hillsides turn orange it is amazing and worth the drive from Los Angeles. The California Poppy Reserve is a great place to experience the spectacle. My good friend Shoshana and I spent a lovely afternoon enjoying the display and taking pictures one blustery spring afternoon. Using the day in the desert as my inspiration for the Art Can was a perfect fit.
I am also painting on a different paper than I normally use, Fabriano 140 lb cold press. I generally use Arches 140 lb cold press
which I love. But since I was using the acrylic I wanted the paint to sit on top of the surface a little more. Worked well for the acrylic part. It is a little frustrating now that I am doing the layered watercolor stuff. I thought about painting the entire painting with acrylic but I have so much more control with watercolor… funny right? Most people think of it as so unforgiving. But it is what I know and love. I love the brushes and the paper.
