Water Lily 2, Poured Watercolor, 11" x 11"
After not having achieved the result I thought I would get in Linda Baker’s workshop, I was determined to try pouring the same subject again. For this piece, I used 300 lb. HP paper and a warm triad of New Gamboge, Naphthol Red and Cobalt Blue.
I intended to do more pours, but the color built up quickly. By the fourth pouring of the darks, I felt the piece was ruined. Had meant to do an even darker pour, but could no longer make out what I had, and the paper was already mostly covered with masking which doesn’t allow the color to flow.
I took off the masking with mixed results. I was pleased that the painting had somewhat of the “glow” which pouring can give. I did not like that the leaves and the flower appeared to have lost much of its color and texture, which was most likely the result of the liquid masking. The mask also left streaking, perhaps from being applied with too much water on the brush, or from using HP paper, or a combination of both. I’m accepting it as a different textural effect. The painting did need a bit of finishing, which is to be expected. It does help to use the same, or similar, subject matter to gain an understanding of how the process works and where improvement can be made. Next time I might not mask out all the leaves, but paint in the darks to retain the fresher color and texture. I was surprised that the HP paper had enough “tooth” to capture the granulation of the Cobalt, but it is probably not the best surface to use for this technique.
In the end, I am satisfied with the finished result and feel have a grasp of the workshop lessons.
First time I documented the stages of a painting. It is helpful in explaining the steps and will help me remember how to approach a poured work.
Masked water droplets; applied initial color with a large brush to establish where the colors should be; masked out lights
Second layer applied with a pipette; masked most of the flower
Poured the third layer; masked the remainder of the flower and all the leaves
Poured fourth layer of darks
Removed the masking
Finished painting with edges cleaned, added touches of color and deepened areas of water
4 comments:
Thank you so much for sharing the process and what you learned about it! It is great information and I am lured to try it out as well. The second one turned out to be truly a beauty -- very harmonious color and the shapes are emphasized by a subtle but quietly graceful color scheme.
Thank you Arena for your kind critique and compliments. Pouring will render colors you wouldn't normally mix on your palette, and the use of only three colors creates the harmony. Haven't painted in a while, but I will try this technique again. If you ever get a chance to take a class with Linda Baker, you won't regret it. She also has two DVDs. Her techniques are fun and liberating.
Hi Johanna,
This came out great. It looks like you were able to control your pours better on the second try. Love it.
Lori
Thanks for leaving your complimentary comments. Yes, it still comes down to control!
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