Ends verses the Means

My first 2009 class went well today, and I was reminded how important it is to focus on the means rather than the ends. Yes, having a goal is important, but it can also be discouraging when the plan isn't unfolding as intended. Fortunately, those of us who have worked in watercolor for a while know the value of the "happy accident," and are willing to alter the plan to accommodate it. Some of my best effects have come by chance or distraction and I take full credit for them :-). But the truth is that I treat each painting as an experiment. I'm not out to create a masterpiece; I'm simply trying to see what I can do with this wonderful wet medium and pushing the limits. Control is nice to have, but I'd rather have beauty. Since the essence of watercolor is its ability to produce magnificent soft diffusions, I'd be working against its strength to focus on control rather than just letting the paint mix in the paper.

In today's class we practiced the four basic ways to apply paint plus two ways of taking it off, namely, lifting and scraping. We did a value study of the lighthouse in sepia. Next week we'll get into color.