For our final assignment, Dick has “removed the fence posts” constraining subject matter and technique. He said, “My goal is to make you more independent. With each assignment I’ve given you more flexibility. You have the opportunity to push your boundaries.” He offered the following guidelines and checklist.
- Look at what’s happening
- Look at your checklist
- Ask, “What would happen if?”
- Be willing to keep experimenting, even taking it to disaster
- It’s not a coloring book – the magic happens when you cross the lines
- “It’ll take painting an acre of canvas before you get it” – George Allan
A checklist for a watercolorist:
- Identify the givens, e.g., white ground, 1, 2, or 3 mixtures, etc.
- Define the neighborhood, e.g., Earthy, Candy Store, Luminous, Plain, etc.
- Identify the options:
- Tones, tints, & shades
- Halations
- Vanishing boundaries
- Film and veil
- Reverse gradation
- Surfaces
- Light and shade
Bring your work in for critique next week. We won’t be painting in the final class, so you don’t need to bring your painting supplies.
