Over the past several weeks I’ve been slogging through what has turned out to be quite a large stack of unfinished paintings and drawings (not counting my oil canvases). You see I have this terrible habit of starting a painting or drawing and then abandoning it when I get stuck or discover some kind of perspective problem. That bad behavior has netted me… gosh… a lot of unfinished work. That work sits in a corner and screams to me… “failure.”
And that is when I made my decision… that I would need to finish these things (each and every one) before going forward and starting anything new. What’s more, I am motivated and chomping at the bit to try some new things. I’m ready to explore with paint and pencil like never before.
Where did this new adventurous spirit come from? I’ve given it considerable thought and come up with a few theories and here is what I’ve come up with so far. Could it be because I recently turned 60 and with that number has come a certain freedom? Or perhaps it’s because somehow the veil of fear between me and my art has been lifted. Or maybe it is because I’ve begun teaching and if I am to teach I need to teach good habits and courage to help my students be the best they can be. I suppose it doesn’t matter really. Whatever the reason for this new “Lewis and Clark” attitude I am ready to tackle each and every one of my unfinished work and bring them to a satisfactory completed state.
The little watercolor you see here is just one of those pieces. All I started with was a wash of pink on the left and blue on the right. I believe my intention was to have used this as a start for a seascape but I turned the paper from horizontal to vertical and thought… FLOWERS… free and flowing flowers. With that idea in mind I pulled out my paint, brushes and my new adventurous spirit and splashed on the paint. Using transparent watercolor, gouache and my wildflower guide here is the result. A sweet little watercolor with soft colors and a sense of freedom! Awesome!
And now… on to the next…
