Why do I use watercolors? The textures of the paintings seem more like acrylics.
One reason I use watercolors and other water-based materials is because of the ability of watercolors to keep developing even after they have dried. They interact with subsequent layers to create fascinating complexities of form and texture. When you are planning a dinner party, you decide where everyone will sit and try to control the interactions? Or do you put out the food and let go, let everyone gravitate towards their own spots and see what happens? All the while you are listening and observing and making adjustments (you bring out the food or put on music, or change topics of conversation if needed). As host you are responsible for the overall mood – the lighting, the food, the music, the ambience, who is invited. But each guest is going to bring their own experiences and emotions. SO the party becomes this complex interaction between all of that. My painting is like a complex party that goes on for weeks. I have to provide the materials and choose the paints. I apply color – I pour materials usually rather than brush them on, though I do both. I tilt the canvas in different ways. Sometimes the paint goes in unexpected directions. I let it settle down. Sometimes I pour the next layer before the previous is dry – then there is greater interaction with the previous. Other times I will wait days or weeks for drying. But with watercolors anything dried, will reawaken when made wet. So it can be very exciting. I pour paint, then come back and look at it 10 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour later, and it has developed in surprising ways. I have a relationship with each canvas – a dialogue and a conversation.
