Monday, June 11, 2012

Studio Peek

Goose WIP (June 1, 2012)

Goat with Fish WIP (June 10, 2012)
Here is the same painting wall with the distance of a week and two days.  I work in a variety of media but the "formal" medium that I feel I belong to is watercolor.  The catch is that I like to work large.  Long ago I began buy large rolls of watercolor paper and started tacking it to the wall.  This allowed me to address the paper as if it were like canvas.

The most pesky problem with works on paper is that after they are complete, they are usually just raw paper unlike images on canvas and stretchers.  At my most recent shows at Sylvia Kania Gallery and Gelato Fiasco, my paintings were just tacked to the wall.  Sometimes this works but it does present a problem of durability.  I have also experimented with mounting the watercolors to board structures, framing them with large Japanese joinery frames in plexiglass and hanging them using rods (as if they were tapestries.)  All have both pros and cons.  The cons haven't ever seemed to deterred me from painting only occasionally limited where I can exhibit what (which is usually the last thing on my mind when creating an image).


 Since my watercolors are on the larger side, those cute little watercolor palettes don't really cut it.  To be sure I have about four or five other palettes of various sizes lurking throughout my studio.  However, the window tends to be the best "sandbox."

 I have two walls on which to paint in this studio.  The largest I am able to create currently (on a single sheet of paper) is 5 feet wide by about 7 feet high.  I had a lovely space many years ago in Philadelphia where I was able to create images that were 8 or 9 feet high by 15 feet wide.  The issue with paintings that big is twofold: 1 where will I hang this after I painted it? and 2 where do I store this behemoth?

 These two tables offer more flat space.  The red table is where I usually make small collages and paperdolls.  The table in the forefront doubles as a sewing machine table and can roll around.  It also has a glass top that offers itself as a makeshift light-table...pretty sneaky.

 These are my two dogs.  The black dog is on my back screen porch with acts as a extension to the studio in the warmer months and storage for some stuff in the colder months.  Very useful.

Maine has the most incredible light.   In addition I am blessed to live on a beautiful piece of land that is filled with lovely plants and creatures.  This fills my imagination and feeds me (literally (I have a very large garden and a greenhouse) and figuratively).

Thanks for stopping by!

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