Frequently Asked Questions
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1. What is your motive for painting? To communicate and share images I find in nature or within my own mind. I believe painting is an intense self-indulgence, communication with one's self, and emotionally rewarding. |
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2. How would you describe your style?
I believe I am an abstract painter often seduced by subject matter; I have fascination with the way elements are put together, with light, color, pattern, rhythm and composition. I want strong imagery. My style and technique are not fixed.
3. Do you consider yourself a botanical artist?
As involved as I am by palms and by other plants, my purpose is not to record or identify them, but to make images into paintings with which people will want to live.
4. How much time does it take to make a large (24" x 36") watercolor?
If I have stretched the paper, have thought out the composition, values and colors before starting, can avoid interruptions and like what I see as the painting evolves, about 24 hours.
5. What materials do you use for watercolor originals and prints?
I reach for the highest transparency and permanence in pigments, most of which are from Windsor & Newton or Daniel Smith. Paper for originals or for projections on paper is Arches 140# cold press, a favorite of many artists. For projections larger than or smaller than the original painting, I often use canvas. While projection on paper is softer and more comparable to watercolor, canvas produces a more brilliant image, coated so that it need not necessarily be glazed, nor even framed. Projections are able to replicate the painting so well because of seven colors of permanent, pigmented inks.