Accidental Watercolor Good Fortune
I started making watercolors about eight years ago, and one of
the most wonderful things about the process is that you just
never stop learning. And, with watercolors, it seems, a lot of
the learning process isn't exactly learning at all: rather it's
a type of insight into the mysteries of paint and life.
To begin, the important thing to understand is that I don't
have much talent. I encourage artistic participation because I
believe that periods of creation benefit people; thus, the
creative results aren't so important. So, needless to say, a lot
of my watercolors turn out lousy, and, you know, I have little
attachment to them.
See, that's how this whole thing started: that, and reading
Henry Miller, who advocated experimentation. So, I'd have a
watercolor, it was lousy, and I was curious. So, I'd start doing
things with the watercolor like dropping it into the tub when I
was taking a shower. Or, I'd put bricks on the corners and leave
it in the yard for a week: let it soak up the sun, rain, and
other varied environmental intangibles.
Well, just use your imagination. If I happened to be eating a
hamburger, I might just have to smear a little ketchup and
mustard into the painting. Or perhaps grind a pickle into the
man's watercolor face. Hmmm....the pickle added some interesting
green highlights to the cheeks. Or, I might walk across it with
muddy shoes, grinding my heel in good and proper: this gives the
paper a fascinating texture. Then I might let that soak in the
sink overnight: submerged in peroxide of course...
What I discovered is that these curious acts often force what I
refer to as Watercolor Serendipity: that is Accidental
Watercolor Good Fortune. The changes brought about by the
seemingly anti-artistic act (heel or pickle grinding etc.) hint
at the next conscious volition assertion. The random change
brings new ideas. And, you just tape the paper back down and get
the brushes out and attack...um, I mean paint! I'll add that
something about the whole thing makes me wonder if anything is
random.
If you are interested in this artistic approach and would like
to participate in an artist's forum that follows this
philosophy, please take a moment to visit the Creative Memories Forum
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