Roots

Roots
60" x 40"
mixed media
300lb watercolour paper

It does not take long to bring things together. There are several “must do’s”. Usually one thing leads to another and suddenly it is done. As a rule of thumb repetition integrates the various elements within a piece. For instance, the laser copy transfer of my grandmother holding my cousin was all alone in technique. Transfers look like felt pen so a repeat performance was begging to be installed. Where? Where would I use more felt pen? The bark of the trees lent itself to texture. They required darkening to create more of a contrast between the background and the figures.  So beginning with an obscure, off-to-the-side branch I began to experiment with mark making. Little strokes, long strokes, curly strokes, cross-hatching.  Yes. A mixture was best. As I moved through the work I noticed some imbalance with value, corrected it, added the poem to repeat the rhythm of the leaves and … something was not quite correct. The background was competing with the foreground, demanding entirely too much attention. This exercise is like negotiating a peace treaty! The main advantage in this negotiation is that although the painting may squawk I have the final say. Out came my paintbrush. I hoped the applications of gel I used to affix the leaves would not interfere with the watercolour. It would be easier if I could just lay a wash over the whole thing… but then again, I could fix… Voilà! Take a picture, add a signature and the painting is done. Now all I have to do is figure out how to hang it….