Does/did abstract painting.

When i first started painting I did acrylic pieces on (often) large canvas. They were “ok” but lacked volume & mass that I now achieve.

Looking back, I sometimes think that the art was in people watching me work on these large pieces, as I often did them in front of impromptu audiences.

I am way outside of trends and so do not worry about such things. However, it also became apparent to me that no gallery wants to give a show to a relative
(self taught) unknown of whom two pieces would take up all the wall space. The completed pieces were also taking up lot of room at home & in studio.

By happenstance I was given a little watercolor kit as a gift. I started to delve into that. I got some great effects and with little work fell deeply into it. I abandoned acrylics, being far better, faster, than I ever had been with those. I reduced the size of my work, with the largest being 9×12. I found great watercolor paper which is 5×8. The paper comes in spiral bond pads. This combined with my pocket paint set allows me to do fully realized pieces when on the road. Everything easily fits in my book bag or coat pocket.

Right away, people responded to what I was doing which drove me to work harder. Without the rigidity of formal training or classes I was able to develop my voice without having to fight against the academic veneer that many painters must fight to shake off.

I met Tina around the time I had just abandoned acrylics. I had always enjoyed painting, the process was the pay off for me. With watercolors it was a whole other level of enjoyment, something which instantly felt a part of me.

We chatted about painting, process & the gallery game. If you blinked you would miss the time that our lives intersected.

This was years ago, before social media was so prevalent and one (more often than not) only heard from direct peers when they wanted something. She seemed satisfied with what she was doing, which is all any artist can ask of themselves.

W.W 2019

Tina 5.5×8.5