Creating art is a journey that tests your limits. When I work on a new piece I’m driven to surpass my previous efforts, striving for greater depth and meaning in each creation. I guess that is the perfectionism in me!! But this pursuit often means confronting obstacles and stepping outside the comfort zone.
I'll explain and perhaps you will relate. I’ve grown accustomed to using black Mi Teintes paper as the material for my work. The reason being I have bought a large roll of black Canson paper, so it doesn't restrict the size of the art work, as opposed to buying it in sheets. The only benefit to buying the paper in sheets is the vast amount of colors you can choose from. Buying the paper in a roll unfortunately only comes in black or white!
However, fairly recently I’ve experimented with white watercolor paper which required a fresh approach! This challenge first surfaced when I was working on Youthful Innocence.
My usual technique of layering, brushing off, and layering again didn’t quite translate to the paper. Instead, I had to simplify the layers and use a putty rubber to achieve the effect I envisioned. Over all I was pleased with the result but it pushed every inch of my creative problem solving!
I’m currently working on another piece using white paper, and you’d think I would have learned from my previous experience. The answer is no! I find myself slipping back into old habits, applying too much and needing to dial it back. It reminds me that, much like life, the process or journey is just as important if not more than the final destination. There are moments when I wonder if I should just take the easy road, but then I ask myself, where’s the growth in that?
Youthful Innocence
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