Experiment done. Experience learned.

Watercolor on Arches paper 8" x 10"

Well, finally I'm done with this project. Waves and Sparkles complete this series of abstract paintings. These last two paintings weren't as hard to let go as the first one. I gave them a thought, I planned it. I had a guide to what  I wanted to accomplish but still created them with some spontaneous decisions. It was quite easy I would say. It seems contradictory right? "Let go" is hard, it's easy when is planned...? Yeap. That was the experience of this experiment. Doing this  was also refreshing from all this urban sketching I did in the last months.  Our minds need a shake up once in a while. Mine did. Lesson learned.

Watercolor on Arches Paper 8" x 10"

At the end these paintings will be in the walls of my home and will reminded me of this process, it makes me quite happy that these paintings have a meaning to me. 

Create your own if you can.....

.....and hang them in the walls of your home. You'll love it.

 

Do you name your paintings?

Watercolor on Arches Paper 8" x 10"

Have you ever name your paintings? When doing urban sketching is kind of self explanatory, mostly. But when doing abstract paintings, it made me wonder how would I refer to this painting, I need to name it right? That got me into thinking also in those inspirational names some artists use. If I go that route, this would be named as Prison? Revealing? We Are Square? Ha ha. Oh my....this is fun. But how would I ask someone, what do you think of my new painting? -Which one? -Revealing -(?). I like to keep things simple. So I'll ask again. What do you think of my new painting? -Which one? -The one with golden squares. A-ha! There my child, I baptize you as Golden Squares.

This is how my little project is looking like. Do you like it? Two more to go. Stay tuned.

New to creating abstract paintings? Just let go.

Watercolor on Arches paper 8" x 10"

After what I consider a successful urban sketching in Mexico last winter, being back at home, took me an effort to grab a pencil and continue doing what I like to do, artistic activities. This two last weeks, we have had little or no sun days, so I'm not very inspired. If you are a sketcher and a "tools junkie" collector, you will understand that sometimes the acquisition of a new art tool, as small as it can be can cheer you up and help you keep going, sometimes in different directions. I've being considering including pearl paint in my sketches. I happened to have a set of wall frames for months, some art is needed in one of the rooms at home. Yes, you guessed well, they are blank, and I gave them a constant thought in the back of my mind while in Mexico, about what to do with them. I've been considering abstract art for a while. How difficult can it be? Never done it. Well it turned out to be more difficult than I thought. I had in front of me a piece of watercolor paper and didn't have a clue how to start. My process of creation started by choosing what colors I wanted in my piece. Is it the right way to start? I have no idea, but that's how it happened. Then I chose watercolor as a media, the one I  have practiced more. Then the technique. At this point I just let go. I went for wet of wet, then added layers once it was dry. It looked ugly, I didn't like it at all, but I still had an ace under my sleeve. I looked at the ugly mess of permanent rose and cobalt turquoise and I let it hit me. What do you see? I tried to make sense out of it and then I saw flowers, flowers and more flowers. I used gold watercolor paint to define some shapes, and this is what I came out with. There, I stood admiring a paint that I like a lot, when I had no idea what would came out of this unknown process. I liked the experience, the starting from clueless to finish liking it. Now I have more to do, and also I know to just let go.

This is the set I got. It's a fabulous watercolor paint coliro.