I'll be painting today. A quick note about my entries in the Illinois River Salon. When I was thinking about what to paint I took into consideration that most would paint full-on landscapes portraying our wonderful vistas and light. What could I bring to the exhibit that would be different? So I chose to come in close and stay on the dark side. The cave appears so solitary and quiet in the painting, but the actual location is quite loud because of the waterfall. I hoped to portray the beauty of the locale, the cool misty temperature, and compositionally focus on the flora and the water. It can be difficult to end a painting without a landform, but I chose a little texture from the mist and movement of the waterfall instead. From the same area I chose to get even closer, focusing on the tiniest little ecosystem, overlooked but so beautiful! It is very challenging to portray texture in watercolor. But hey, I love a challenge. So I chose to do these blocks with the moss. I left the leaves sprouting out of the crack smooth as a place for the eye to rest from all the texture. A sideways cruciform armature , a little off center, the yellow in the leaves drawing the eye up and down completes the composition. But the star is the moss. I chose to do this in a true neoimpressionist manner - from ten feet away, it looks real. On closer inspection the viewer will enjoy the many, many layers of colored dots...done with a toothpick. I'm quite pleased with the blocks as well which took every bit as long to accomplish as the moss. I used different combinations of blues and oranges and used as many granulating paints as possible. It is a textural feast! I hope you will stop by the exhibit at Compton Gardens September 30-October 2nd and take a look. Back to my brushes.
"I always thought a yard was three feet, then I started mowing the lawn." - C. E. Cowman
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