Spring Color!

The new design wall has me energized and inspired!

 

The first thing I did was break out some of my hand-dyed and painted fabrics and slap them up there. I have a large canvas begging to be used, and I'm trying to work out a fabric collage to go on top of it. These fabrics are a few years old now, but they evoke in me wonderful memories of my days, months, and years spent dying them and then painting over them.

Despite the fall-like color on the wall this week, my mind keeps turning to spring, and I couldn't help but break out my paints and some of my new printmaker's papers. These heavy papers have a handmade feel and look to them, with lovely deckled edges and a smooth, crisp surface. They accept paints wonderfully.

I started with this smaller piece onto which I had gel printed a couple of weeks ago. It began life with a garish pink/white/orange surface, and with a little work and many layers of paint, became this.

I used it as a jumping off place to create a much larger piece, measuring 25 1/2" by 35".

This, too, began with gel plate monoprinting and ended with some monoprinted Stacked Journaling in white.

While I was creating both of these pieces, I was using a third piece of the printmaker's paper to off-load excess paint. It became one of my favorites of the week.

(detail)

I think that in my own way, I am succeeding in imposing a small measure of subtlety onto my color palette. Yes, the colors are still bold and graphic, but I think perhaps they're also developing some mystery and depth. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking! Either way, I'm satisfied.

Happy creating!