Shaking It Up – Views from The Artist’s Highway

Shaking it up

Views from The Artist’s Highway

Canyon Dawn               Watercolor on Yupo

  Tright here is consolation in mastering a creative medium—typically taking years, possibly even a long time, to change into fluent sufficient with our supplies and instruments in order that we will categorical ourselves with confidence and fluidity. We come to see them as previous dependable associates whom we will belief with our tenderest inventive notions. Nonetheless, after a while carrying on efficiently on this mode, we will really change into too comfy and slip dangerously near repeating, in variations maybe, what we all know find out how to do greatest. That is thought-about a fascinating achievement in virtually some other career, however not artwork.


   At any time when we sense that we’re doing a little bit of sleepwalking by way of our work, we attempt to shake it up by some means. There are various completely different methods for this. It may be helpful and enjoyable to attempt to work in an unfamiliar medium or maybe on a brand new sort of floor. Making an attempt one thing new adjustments the best way we’ve to answer the supplies and in so doing, adjustments the best way we take into consideration making artwork. It may well problem our notion of what’s doable for us. All good issues. 

   I had been working for many years in watercolor utilizing primarily Arches paper and located that my strategy to portray was getting drained. I made a decision that this was the time to tackle an unfamiliar portray materials and see what would possibly come of it. The fabric I selected is bought beneath the title Yupo, and has gained a following amongst watermedia painters specifically. It’s made from impermeable polyester and can maintain watercolor washes, however can be washed off clear with water. I knew of Yupo, however had ignored it till I noticed a few of the marvelous work my buddy and grasp watercolor painter Mark Mehaffey has been producing. “Wow, that appears like enjoyable, and I have to have enjoyable with portray!” was my first response. Certainly, should you watch any of Mark’s Yupo movies, he’s having enjoyable. (Try a few of Mehaffey’s newest Yupo summary work here).

Waterlilies                    Watercolor on Yupo

   I ordered some Yupo, which is available in a pair completely different variations, and commenced portray on it. For anybody used to the best way cotton paper behaves with watercolors, overlook nearly all the pieces you recognize. On Yupo, washes puddle, pool and blend collectively in utterly alternative ways. Strokes don’t mix collectively nicely in any respect, so the floor has a really calligraphic look. If in case you have your desk on a tilt, as we do with conventional watercolors, then the washes of colour all slowly run downhill to a giant muddy pool on the backside. Excellent! A problem was what I wished and now I had a giant one. I’m nonetheless experimenting with this bizarre stuff and I’ve to report that it’s enjoyable to work with exactly as a result of I don’t know what I’m doing or what I’m going to get, if something. You’re seeing a few of my experiments right here. Better of all, it is extremely straightforward to appropriate—simply wipe off with a towel, and voila! clear Yupo, able to go once more. No worries of ruining costly paper – simply freedom to play. Attempt it your self, you could discover it’s precisely what you’ve been in search of.