Cliff Walk

I just finished this small (9 x 11) pastel. It's on sanded paper, unframed, and priced at $65.

My brain keeps shouting at me "I don't want to be a landscape artist!" But, every time I pick up pastels that's where we seem to go.

I've learned that some media lend themselves to certain types of paintings. Can't imagine having done Lines and Circles and Squares in all pastel. I liked doing it as mixed media. By the same token, too much mixed media in this would lose something. . . . maybe the feel of the water.

So, switches from watercolor to acrylic to pastel gives me more space within my head or heart or soul to try different approaches. Hmmm. Now there's a thought. Maybe I'll settle on a single image or idea and do it separately in those three media. Could be fun.

Lines and Circles and Squares, Oh My!

Fun, really fun! I've been just playing with abstraction and with mixed media at the same time. This kinda took on a life of its own and became almost the everything but the kitchen sink painting.



It's on an 18 x 24 " sheet of watercolor paper and started with watercolor paints and a very limited pallette. I kept adding layers over layers and kinda looking at the painting and asking "ok, where do you want to go now?" When it seemed that had gone on long enough I switched to acrylics and hid some things beneath tape to keep the watercolor. Then I added in some silver gouache and some shiny gel medium. (By the way, those areas are not as shiny as the appear in the photo - that flash thing you know.)

Thought I was done. Then the painting seemed to yell at me - "you may be done, woman, but I'm not!" So, back to work with some pastels. Now we're done, both of us. Or, maybe I'm just worn out.