Secret Mountains I – 8.5 x 12″ – Sold – Watercolor on paper
After coming home from the local art store I tore open the plastic wrapping on the watercolor pad of paper I had just purchased. I hadn’t been painting for a while, so I was excitedly anticipating filling the book with color. But as I looked through the pages I saw that many sheets of the paper were distorted, lots of creases in what was supposed to be a uniform texture. I was angry, thinking Instead of painting, I needed to go back to the store and return the sketchbook.
As I settled down and pondered my dilemma, it dawned on me that instead of seeing the distorted paper as a problem, I could ‘use’ the creases as a jumping off point. So, I softened my eyes and saw that the creases were reminiscent of mountain shapes. I pulled out my watercolor crayons and paints and emphasized the creases, using them for the shape of mountains. These became what I call The Secret Mountain series. Each one guided by the ‘mistakes’ in the paper. What appeared to be a problem turned into a fortuitous creation.
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