Resurrection. In the lab doing frankenshit. Even slower painting. Decalcomania. Plastic inevitable allure. I listen to my father. The slouching curve. Riptides.
Fascinating. I used to interview visual artists and I would go to their studios and spend a couple hours and they would show me their work and their techniques as we talked. Great paintings. I'm particularly fond of the first one in your grid, with the purple, kind-of-crystally "sky." Thanks.
Thank you for your kind compliment, and for taking the time to read and comment. I'm so pleased you enjoy the work. I still feel like I'm getting my sea legs back, even three years back into practice. Especially since I allow myself to work as slowly as I seem to require. And, true story, the painting you mentioned in the postcard grid was the very first saran-wrap decalcomania experiment, and that purple, kind-of-crystally "sky" (per your delightful and apt description) was possibly the fire I needed to make the others.
Getting to interview artists in their studios for a living must've been a wild ride. My favorite part of what we do is that none of us does it the same way. And we're often so busy doing our respective things, we'd never that breadth and variety of immersion that you must've gotten.
❤️❤️ love these really love the story and easily relate to so much of. realizing what’s missing or some new possibility in a dream. thanks for the pursuit and the share.🙏❤️
Thank you for the close reading and for the affirmation of kindred spirit. Thank you for knowing what I’m talking about. And thank you for saying so.🙏❤️
I love how your work subverts what I expect from watercolor. You create these goopier forms that I associate with oil and acrylic. The contrast makes for a rich viewing experience. Cool to learn more about the technique you use to achieve this. Her Dreams Flood Every Synapse is incredible - made think of being in a cave and the lights go out and I can see all the reverse colors of what I'd been staring at. Also, really like the world I can feel from the top and bottom left postcards in the 9-square panel.
Goodness, Trevor, thank you. The whole comment is gold; I appreciate your kind words, keen insights, and especially that amazing evocation of the chromatic afterimages. I am honored.
As for technique, I've never used watercolors quite correctly and I have no regrets. I never shrunk from applying watercolor in multiple layers of masstone, but I know there are easier ways to get there. I suspect the bright and light-over-dark goopier parts are an opaque medium: gouache or ink applied with a ball stylus, and some kind of light crayon or colored pencil. Tough to narrow down from there— I tend to switch among them as I work. I hope that helps.
I’m very excited that you’re sharing your process like this. I’m not artist, but can absolutely appreciate every detail. My daughter IS an artist and I showed her your work and read this to her…she intuitively started doing that treatment with paper towel when she was probably 2.5, and I still have the end result tucked away somewhere (I’ll try to dig it out). Anyway, it’s inspiring. ❤️
Thank you so much for your incredibly kind words and for sharing this with your daughter. I'm extra touched that you found it inspiring. You are an artist— I've read your poetry. Words are just as gooey and bright as paint.
Your daughter sounds amazing— you're amazing, so that totally tracks. I love that she started playing with decalcomania at age 2.5 — that's around the time I started painting, but I don't think I was quite so sophisticated in my approach. What kind of art does she do now? If she's amenable, I'd love to see some of her work.
I just hope she was able to derive some benefit from my process writeup. I always think of them as lab reports, and I've been so touched by the warm and enthusiastic welcome they've received here. Which speaks a great deal about this community here. When I first started writing about my process, I felt a bit self-indulgent— "does anyone really want to read about my dithering?" It was only my lab chemist's reflex to document every process that overrode my innate shyness.
Oh my goodness, dear @pie thank you so much. Writing about this painting was difficult because of the way time refracts the memory of making. The idea that one of my long-form posts is something you look forward to is going to make me smile all week. I can’t express how much I appreciate you. ❤️🫂
Thank you so much for visiting and for your generous compliment. 🙏🌷❤️
Fascinating. I used to interview visual artists and I would go to their studios and spend a couple hours and they would show me their work and their techniques as we talked. Great paintings. I'm particularly fond of the first one in your grid, with the purple, kind-of-crystally "sky." Thanks.
Thank you for your kind compliment, and for taking the time to read and comment. I'm so pleased you enjoy the work. I still feel like I'm getting my sea legs back, even three years back into practice. Especially since I allow myself to work as slowly as I seem to require. And, true story, the painting you mentioned in the postcard grid was the very first saran-wrap decalcomania experiment, and that purple, kind-of-crystally "sky" (per your delightful and apt description) was possibly the fire I needed to make the others.
Getting to interview artists in their studios for a living must've been a wild ride. My favorite part of what we do is that none of us does it the same way. And we're often so busy doing our respective things, we'd never that breadth and variety of immersion that you must've gotten.
Absolutely masterful - I especially love the stairway.
Wow, thank you so much. 🙏❤️
❤️❤️ love these really love the story and easily relate to so much of. realizing what’s missing or some new possibility in a dream. thanks for the pursuit and the share.🙏❤️
Thank you for the close reading and for the affirmation of kindred spirit. Thank you for knowing what I’m talking about. And thank you for saying so.🙏❤️
always ❤️
I love how your work subverts what I expect from watercolor. You create these goopier forms that I associate with oil and acrylic. The contrast makes for a rich viewing experience. Cool to learn more about the technique you use to achieve this. Her Dreams Flood Every Synapse is incredible - made think of being in a cave and the lights go out and I can see all the reverse colors of what I'd been staring at. Also, really like the world I can feel from the top and bottom left postcards in the 9-square panel.
Goodness, Trevor, thank you. The whole comment is gold; I appreciate your kind words, keen insights, and especially that amazing evocation of the chromatic afterimages. I am honored.
As for technique, I've never used watercolors quite correctly and I have no regrets. I never shrunk from applying watercolor in multiple layers of masstone, but I know there are easier ways to get there. I suspect the bright and light-over-dark goopier parts are an opaque medium: gouache or ink applied with a ball stylus, and some kind of light crayon or colored pencil. Tough to narrow down from there— I tend to switch among them as I work. I hope that helps.
I’m very excited that you’re sharing your process like this. I’m not artist, but can absolutely appreciate every detail. My daughter IS an artist and I showed her your work and read this to her…she intuitively started doing that treatment with paper towel when she was probably 2.5, and I still have the end result tucked away somewhere (I’ll try to dig it out). Anyway, it’s inspiring. ❤️
Thank you so much for your incredibly kind words and for sharing this with your daughter. I'm extra touched that you found it inspiring. You are an artist— I've read your poetry. Words are just as gooey and bright as paint.
Your daughter sounds amazing— you're amazing, so that totally tracks. I love that she started playing with decalcomania at age 2.5 — that's around the time I started painting, but I don't think I was quite so sophisticated in my approach. What kind of art does she do now? If she's amenable, I'd love to see some of her work.
I just hope she was able to derive some benefit from my process writeup. I always think of them as lab reports, and I've been so touched by the warm and enthusiastic welcome they've received here. Which speaks a great deal about this community here. When I first started writing about my process, I felt a bit self-indulgent— "does anyone really want to read about my dithering?" It was only my lab chemist's reflex to document every process that overrode my innate shyness.
Finally a longform post from the one and only Ridgely ❤️ so much passion and love for what you do in each word and linework, so proud of you. 🫂
Oh my goodness, dear @pie thank you so much. Writing about this painting was difficult because of the way time refracts the memory of making. The idea that one of my long-form posts is something you look forward to is going to make me smile all week. I can’t express how much I appreciate you. ❤️🫂
Gorgeous images!! 😍
Thank you for your lovely and kind words. 🙏❤️ I’m so honored.
You’re very welcome!!
Your work is truly astonishing. Apologies for not getting to it sooner. Beautiful!
How lovely of you to take the time to look and to leave such kind words. No apology necessary. You’re here and that’s what counts. Thank you.