Everything you do today will inform what you do tomorrow.

I’m inspired by wake robins, the quintessential flowers of spring, as they bloom in the woods where I live. The trillium tell me spring is here — or at least the promise of spring. So I sketch and paint them.

Here’s an example  from my journal pages:

And this one that started as a demo and evolved into a painting I just love! It started on 140 pound watercolor paper, treated with matte medium. That technique allows paint to puddle and form oozle “gems” as it dries. It is sketched with a Lyra water soluble graphite pencil.

Then I marbled it… and it virtually glows. Look how the colors in the marbling both hide and highlight the painting color.

So now that the trillium are blooming again, I dug a couple from my orchard to bring in to paint.
I want to go BIG! And LOOSE!
Here’s the painting that resulted, — full sheet and still unfinished. I may marble over this one, too!

Everything is connected and one thing leads to another. 



With trilliums in mind, I glanced at a Sockeye painting, and that started me thinking about salmon. Now I’m imagining fish painted in the style of these trilliums!

But first, more trilliums. I’m making four paintings on 6×6 inch canvases for Village Gallery’s Art Challenge fundraiser that opens Saturday, May 9th and trillium seem like the right subject for the technique I want to use.

My process is born of play. It is also inspired by travels to Italy where I’ve cultivated a strong appreciation for antiquity. I’m using the ancient arts of marbling and gilding with my contemporary subject. The trilliums are painted in watercolor with gold gesso background. Then gold leaf is applied – very shiny!

They are marbled in acrylic adding a bit of patterning to subdue the glitz. 
 
Digital doesn’t quite capture the change in the gilding from shiny new to antique, as a glaze is added and they are aged to appear older than the hills. I’m pretty happy with how they turned out!

 

You are invited to the opening celebration of Village Gallery’s ART CHALLENGE 

on Saturday, May 9th, 2-4pm.

MORE ABOUT THE ART CHALLENGE HERE

Village Gallery is off Salesman Road, just north of Cornell, next to the Cedar Mill Library.
There will be lots of bargains but be advised, they can go fast!

These are $60 each or $225 for the group, an exceptional value considering the time and love in each one. Only because it’s a fundraiser for Village Gallery — and you can only purchase through them.