REINSPIRED!!

CUP SERIES #1

CUP SERIES #2

CUP SERIES #3

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I am starting to hold semi-private lessons in my studio on the variations theme.   I have the luxury of stretching the lessons out and presenting one or two ideas each week instead of overloading so much information into each day which a short workshop necessitates.   We are discussing shape.   While researching images to illustrate my concept, I came across a series of paintings that inspired me.   The idea is to take an object and reduce it down to a simple shape and then create an interesting series using the elements and principles of design.  I decided on a bowl on a table top.  I also decided to explore the idea of incorporating personal symbols and use a square format.   My first symbol is a triangle, a straight line, and an O.  I have a beautiful hand made book of watercolor paper in a square format.   I decided to fill it entirely with this project.  I can decide later if I want to keep it in the book or present them separately.   I normally work large but I am enjoying this small format.  The scale allows me to use materials in a way that looks different.  I can also work more quickly.

WATERCOLOR PORTRAIT DEMO USING PRIMATEK FROM DANIEL SMITH

SONOMA WATERCOLOR SOCIETY DEMO 1/2019

The Sonoma Watercolor Society kindly asked me to do a demo for them for their January Meeting.  It was a very stormy day when we drove the 2 hours to Santa Rosa but it was a wonderful turnout and I enjoyed sharing my new set of Primatek Daniel Smith paints I had received as an award from the California Watercolor Society annual national competition.   I was anxious to try them out.  The surface I prepared was gesso that had been texturized which made it extremely liftable.  That turned out to be the good news/bad news.    At the end of the two-hour demo, this was how far the painting was resolved.    At this point, my biggest dissatisfaction was the dark blue area under the beard.

DEMO SONOMA WATERCOLOR SOCIETY #2

After working on the painting back in my studio, I had resolved the background and garment to my satisfaction.  I liked the character of the pigment in those areas as well as the hat but I did not like the skin tone or look of the pigment buildup in the dark areas of the face. Soooo........

DEMO SONOMA WATERCOLOR SOCIETY #3

I decided I wanted to use more transparent and more vibrant colors for the skin and wiped out some of the Primatek pigment and liked the new color better but was not happy with the overall appearance of the facial features.   Soooo.....

DEMO SONOMA WATERCOLOR SOCIETY #4

I totally removed the color from the face and started over.   As you can see, there was enough of the eye placement and nose to not have to start from a blank slate.  My husband (the subject) was not happy that I had erased the original face as he liked it and told me not to "mess it up!"  but one has to be willing to take a risk in order to create the best version possible within one's abilities at the time.  If it resulted in losing a so-so painting, I was okay with that.  Basically, it is only a piece of paper.  The only thing lost is a few hours and a little paint. 

For the next week, I worked on the painting and struggled mostly with getting the nose painted in a way that I could accept.  I must have wiped out and repainted that area 25 times!  I wish I had actually tallied the attempts.  The liftability of the of the surface made it difficult to get the depth of color and edges just right.  I was determined to master this exasperating challenge so I soldiered on and FINALLY was satisfied with the last version.  

DEMO SONOMA WATERCOLOR SOCIETY  #5 FINISHED PORTRAIT JERRY

Here is the first and final painting side by side.