Seeking More Sybolism

I have been thinking about adding a more personal approach to my paintings. After listening to several speakers at the last Watercolor Society of Oregon Convention, I began taking an inventory of things I am most interested in, connected to, and feel passionate about.

I've chosen to paint a series focusing on my love of Oregon's landscape, my connection to rivers through rafting, and interest in wildlife (birds in particular.

I also thought about the elements of design that I like doing the most, so I'll emphasize patterns and lines in this series.

I'm going to use the GBH (Great Blue Heron) as my symbol for river wildlife, so you can expect to see herons in every one of this series.

To create this painting, I thought about the strata of the river canyon--the sunlight, the water, thick forests, rocks, gravel bars, rock cliffs, etc. In this painting, I was trying to express these elements in an abstract way, while keeping design elements and composition in mind.

 

River Strata, 21 x 14 inches