In the future I would like to share more about my studies and experimental work. At the end of last year I finished up a watercolor course with the London Art College. I have loved it. While working through the assignments I had the chance to explore the medium in new ways and apply it to my intuitive painting.
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| "Seascape Ruin", Watercolors on Paper, Intuitive Painting |
Stained Glass Ruin and Seascape Ruin were made for an assignment about textures and overlays. I particularly enjoyed this exercise because I have always been intrigued by special effects and surface treatment in painting. Not only was I prompted to create textures but I also had the choice to apply it to my intuitive painting. I closed my eyes and immediately received the image of a ruin and the sea. I thought this subject was perfect because it gave me the opportunity to easily meet the requirements of the assignment.
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| "Stained Glass Ruin", Watercolors on Paper, Intuitive Painting |
I had a soft spot for ruins, their walls and stained glass for as long as I can remember. Maybe my archaeological background has something to do with that or maybe I am just hopelessly romantic. I am getting excited when I think about all they have witnessed, while once again being the witness of my present moment. The thought of the past lives of their architects, builders, creators in general, owners and visitors carries a flair of mystery. Also walls are probably the only artifacts that the public is allowed to touch. I love to lay my hand on an ancient wall and to explore the sense of possible surfaces like marble, pebbles, mortar and brick. Ruins are absorbed in their environments. Their holes and crevices offer homes to birds, little animals like mice and insects and plants like moss and fungus. These add interest and beauty for the artist but are signs of decay for the conservators causing them concern. Symbolically ruins are reminding us that all material is temporary, subject to change and decay making room for something new and, by doing this, being part of an infinite chain. This does not only apply to everything manmade but also to nature. Think about how the sea has been carving through gigantic lava rocks for millions of years reducing them to beautiful natural sculptures. The universe and life itself on the other hand are eternal but also constantly in motion.
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| "Stained Glass Butterflies", Watercolors on Paper, Intuitive Painting |
In Stained Glass Ruin I distressed the paper, used wax, masking fluid, salt and cling-film and applied wet-into-wet and lifting techniques. In "Seascape Ruin" I also used glazing and spattering with white gouache. Besides the LAC watercolor course I also reread the section on walls and stained glass in the beautiful book Dreamscapes: Creating Magical Angel, Faery and Mermaid Worlds with Watercolor by artist Stephanie Pui-Mun Law. I already applied the techniques she explains in the book in a much older painting "Stained Glass Butterflies" that I did in 2009.
I would love to hear your thoughts if you also enjoy the feature of ruins in intuitive art or like to explore this subject in your own work!
Love,
Rika
Do you like walls and stained glass in art or do these features show up in your work as well? Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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