When I began this series a couple of years ago, it was a hard time and I just wanted to paint. Without too much thought. You can do anything in a sky. I added the ocean for context and realized the horizon line had a lot of significance for me. As a reminder and advocate. 'Figure it out, what`s important'? Later I understood these little paintings were about the loss of my brother.
Joan Foth, the ambitious watercolorist, died this past summer in New Mexico. Although I didn`t know her well, she was a painting friend and we loved to talk art and the landscape. She did enormous watercolor paintings of Kansas and New Mexico. Long story, but she bought the property next to my great friend George. After Joan`s death, George was involved with sorting through her stuff. She asked me if I wanted a pad of paper probably remembering some connection with me. It was old Meridian drawing paper and the primary watercolor support I had used for 25 years before Pentalic changed the formulation. I had suggested Joan try it. Well it arrived last week and I was so overjoyed. This is my favorite paper ever and when I couldn`t get it anymore I quit painting watercolor for a long time. My discovery of Yupo happened because I was looking for something similar. Which it isn`t.
This is my first effort on this paper and it`s for Joan. She left the world some very beautiful paintings.
6 comments:
This is a beautiful. What a talent Joan was. Her landscape of NM is wonderful...she really brought across the vastness of the area..you can feel it. Also, your friend George creates fabulous
bowls and earrings, etc. What colors!
How do I tell you how much this moves me?
You can do anything
in a sky:
paint it stormy
with an anger of red
let it settle into blue
moods
lush it up
with clouds
a mass of clotted cream
set it against waves
and roll your dreams
straight to the horizon
just don't draw the line
at what you see
An artist paints his joy and his sorrow. I think you've done both with this one. Beautiful work.
Love the story about the paper. And what a wonderful piece of art you made.
What's not to love about this painting and the story! You have an amazing way of handling watercolor.
I think a little bit of Joan is channeling through that paper, look forward to more from you and that pad!
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