The spring of 2020 has been — to borrow a phrase from the Fantastic Mr. Fox — a cluster-cuss. What should an artist do in the studio when all of our lives are being turned upside down? In a world where suddenly there seemed to be no right side up, I pulled out a happy technique. How about some watercolors that you can hang in any direction?
These pieces are 18 x 23 inches and have no right-way-up. I turn the paper as I work on them, adding more layers. The long, thin lines are made by letting drops of colour flow down the paper by the pull of gravity. It all seems like fun and games, but watercolour is not for sissies. There is no going back with this medium. Much soup-making and yogic breathing has to occur in preparation for the paint strokes.
I first experimented with spinnable watercolour during a residency in Santa Monica a few years ago. It was my way of capturing the beauty and unsettled energy of California. A client on a studio visit recently fell in love with one of those images and took it home with her. Which got me thinking of them again.
Finally, a word about the flowers. They are the first element put down in these paintings. When it comes to flowers I often take inspiration from a book called A Victorian Flower Album, by Henry Terry. Terry was a gentle Victorian father who wandered the fields of Oxfordshire collecting flowers with his three small children. The book was his gift to them, a record of their discoveries.
The events of this spring have given many families the gift of time to wander fields together. I hope these images lighten your heart in these topsy-turvy days.
Thanks Marlene for this. Love hearing your voice as well as seeing your work.
So lovely to embrace this topsy turvy world and make it beautiful ♥
To look at your work is to feel my heart open and a smile spread across my face. Your work is an experience; a journey into another realm where joy and love are infused with every color. =)