River Dandy

If you have been following my blog, you are probably aware of the river series I'm working on. The series has sent me off on an experimental painting adventure, as I continue to look for ways to express my relationship with the outdoors and, more specifically, Northwest rivers. In looking for ideas for a new painting, once again I went back to my rafting photos.

Another influence for this next painting came from the fact that my painting "Rogue Heron," had recently won an award. I decided to use to my method of creating a painting by placing subject matter in an abstract design with collage--a companion piece to "Rogue Heron." 

Besides Great Blue Herons, we see a lot of cormorants on the river. Although many people associate cormorants (also known as shags) with coastal areas, there are many living in fresh water areas. These birds are far from glamorous in color or stature, and in doing a little research I found they are more closely related to pelicans and penguins than any other bird life. However, as in this photo, they enjoy soaking in the sun to dry out after diving for their supper. So this photo became my inspiration for the painting, along with some lovely collage material I had created. As you will see, the techniques I used for "Rogue Heron" and this new painting are similar, but the cormorant painting went in a very different (whimsical and playful) direction.

I began with the cormorant photo on a light table, tracing the bird and other abstract shapes. Using this method, I get ideas for shapes to incorporate into the abstract areas.

Using a full sheet (22 x 30 inches) of watercolor paper, I mapped out a white shape to connect the sides of the rectangle, and put on a pale wash of watercolor.

Next came some darks. After which I started building the corners. All of this work so far is with transparent watercolors.

Next, I masked off the white area and used the mouth atomizer to spray on a layer of color to help unify the corners and the abstract shapes. Once I peeled off the masking tape, I added the cormorant.

This is the unfinished state that I took to my workshop. It was with some trepidation that I took a piece of work that was at a pretty awkward stage. Developing this painting into a finished piece might seem daunting, but my experience has taught me that forging ahead usually pays off. For the next four days I used this picture to demonstrate to my class how using collage and line, can take a mid-point painting to completion. I let go of my ego at this point with the knowledge that I could work with the painting to a finish that would be pleasing. There is never a guarantee of a masterpiece!

Every bit of collage material added to the painting. I began to embrace the whimsy and fun the patterns created. Oddly, the more pattern I used, the less busy and more unified the painting became to my eye. I created more pattern by painting into the white, speaking to the white collage material I'd used. I then added some black acrylic paint to add "pop" and link parts of the painting together. The final step was to use line with ink applied by a homemade bamboo tool. My very last step was to create some new material for his feet--this "Dandy" definitely needed custom-made footwear!

River Dandy, mixed media, 22 x 30 inches