Excercising my abstraction muscles, by Linda Young

An exercise in abstraction

Today, my friend Pam W and I watched a dvd by artist Shirley Trevena whose style is very watery and very loose.  So loose that I kept saying out loud, "I wish I could control the water like that"...which really means she was so loose with the water on her paintings after applying the color; it went against everything I have ever been taught.    Things like:  remove the excess water from the back of the brush so you don't flood the paper, layer your colors, be realistic, be in control....

Here is the painting I began today and finished this evening after my family's dinner.  My two dogs continued to pester me to let them outside...which Pam can attest to they did a lot of.  I don't know if this is a style I will try to really get into or incorporate it somewhat in other paintings I attempt.  Note:  the "RR" initials in this are the initials I found on the little antique pitcher; Ms. Trevena puts things like that into her works.

This Spring, I'll be attending Pat Dews watercolor workshop through the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society.  Maybe the techniques in the above painting will appear in something I do in the workshop.

Linda Young
adventures in painting with watercolor