Sometimes It's Easy

Every once in a while I find having a studio out in the barn has its advantages. For this start, I wanted to wet parts of my full sheet of watercolor paper and pour diluted acrylics into the wet parts to give it a transparent look. Setting up outside my studio is easy--one horse mounting step, a bucket of clean water, 3 containers of paint and plenty of earth to absorb my mess.

My initial idea was to create a water backdrop for another "River Tapestry" painting. The beginning of those paintings always start with some good water rapids, so after the first pouring had dried, I put a dark background at the top to make the biggest splashy parts pop.

Next, I started to add the white acrylic and ink to create splashing and action and movement. When I stepped back to look at where I might place the window or windows to weave my tapestry around, I found that I loved it all, as is. I even called my husband (the rower) out to verify that I had really captured a wonderful rapid, and that it would be a shame to do away with any of it.

If you read my previous blog, you'll know that a finished painting can take a year, so to have one come out successfully in a couple of days is a rarity. Now all I need is a name.