Recently, I have been using Arches huile paper, which is made for oil paints. One can get some spectacular texture putting watercolors on this paper. I have also been experimenting with a more spontaneous, intuitive way of painting. I put granulating colors all over the paper and spread them around with a credit card, making textural marks into the paper and occasionally squirting with water and tilting the paper to create runs and more textures. This is a great deal of fun. Then I have the puzzle of trying to make something interesting, emotional, and/or beautiful out of it.
In this process, two types of paintings have evolved. In one type I use ink to make lines and shapes that become "abstracts." In the other I use negative painting techniques and somehow vessels (vases, pitchers, pots) keep showing up.
Here are some abstract paintings, in the order painted:
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| Pale Male |
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| Purple Mountain Majesty |
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| Seaside |
And here are three "vessel" paintings, in the order painted:
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| Story Storage |
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| Spirits |
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| My Vessels |
I hope the texture of the granulating paints and that which results from credit card scraping show up well in these reproductions of my work. Now I am wondering if hot press Arches paper would work just as well with this process as the huile paper. I guess we'll have to try it and see!
