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adirondacks, art, landscape, learning, painting, plein air, study, water, watercolor
A new technical term I learned today from fellow artist Ellen Hopkins Fountain. If you’re a watercolorist you will not need a definition. For everyone else, painterbation occurs when you get the smallest brush you own, use lots of different pigments and then repeatedly poke at your paper until it turns into a muddy, overworked mess.
On the topic of brushstrokes…
I recently took a workshop at View in Old Forge with artist Chris Krupinski, who’s work is very detailed, precise and beautiful. For full sheets of watercolor paper (30 x 22” – big), the largest brush she uses is about a size 8 (which for non artists, is fantastically small. This goes against what almost every other artist ever advises.
Here’s the work I created in her workshop, using the technique of dry brush followed by tons of glazes.
Most of the little sketches I’ve posted on my blog from Wiawaka are quicker, larger brush, wet-in-wet works that I can do fairly quickly in plein air. But the birdbath painting (I posted the drawing yesterday), I decided to use Chris’s technique. So one day to draw; one day to get as far as you see below, which is the start of the dry brush underpainting. Unlikely that I’ll finish this painting this week… but I hope to get some glowing color down the road.
It’s great fun hanging with a bunch of artists. There are eight artists in residence here at Wiawaka, and we’re all either watercolorists or oil painters; oddly enough, there are no acrylic painters in our group. Lots of different approaches and styles, and some superb painters here. Great camaraderie. I’ll share names and web site addresses tomorrow.
Mary
beautiful work!
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Thank you, Margaret!
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In my view, I feel the two birds, even at this stage of the painting display a loving connection to each other. Can’t wait for the finished product. Thanks for sharing.
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Mary Cole — you are just a loving person and a beautiful soul.
Mary
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Love hearing about your adventures. Your Workshop painting is fabulous! Looking forward to seeing the finished birdbath painting. Thanks for sharing what you’ve done so far, helps me in understanding what I should be accomplishing!!
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Thanks, Lena! I’ll post another tomorrow!
Mary
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Oh, my! I’m glad to see the still life – my head is reeling over the size 8 brush, since I’ve been working hard to use larger brushes and stop the overworking. Those darks are really dark! Did you do all the washes and everything with small brushes or did you use large brushes for the washes? wow. Just, wow. The color really does glow.
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Robin — thanks for your comments. I used bigger brushes when I felt like it. I will take some of the things I learned and apply them and ignore some of the others. But I learned a lot from her! Tomorrow I’ll post some of the quick plein air I did today with BIG brushes. There’s room for both techniques and for growth from trying it all.
Mary
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Thanks for sharing your creation process, Mary. We’re looking forward to seeing the work that emerges from your week in the beautiful Wiawaka environment.
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Thanks, Sue! I’ll post some more tomorrow.
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