The challenge from
DailyPaintworks.com for this last week was to paint a lighter (they posted a photo) using only white, burnt sienna and ultramarine blue. I have painted with just those two colors (using the white paper for the white) before and loved doing it but I had no interest in doing a representaional painting of the lighter. Then, I got the idea from one of the other entries to approach it in an abstract way and decided to give it a try.
I wanted to play up the circles on the lighter and used different tops to stamp circles with gesso (the white). I also stamped some straight lines where the lighter will be. Gesso is an acrylic and will resist the watercolor. Then, I wet the whole paper and applied the burnt sienna and ultramarine blue in a cruciform design, leaving the warm color in the focal point area and the cool around it. I also spattered some of both colors.
When all was dry I began to define the top of the lighter where the most detail is, using alot of negative painting. I also started to play up the cruciform design with vertical and horizontal areas.
I continued refining shapes and did some painting around areas of the circles. I tried to keep the focus on the top of the lighter while also giving movement to the painting. I used gesso to stamp a few more lines and then signed it. The fun of using just two colors is that you have to pay attention to your value pattern - sometimes easy to forget when we have too many colors to play with! To see this painting and the other entries
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Abstract Lighter - $60 - 11x15 inches original watercolor. This painting is available for purchase using PayPal at my Website.
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