Stupid as stupid does

"Stupid as stupid does"  Forrest Gump inspired me.

I was not ready to accept defeat with my recent water ripples painting.  It was meant to be an experiment with semi-sized Xuan and alum.  Perhaps I miscalculated the choices of paper and what not, but I would find a way to salvage my painting.  I didn't know any better.

Since I had already laid out all the tracks of the ripples, which unfortunately did not reveal as visibly as I had hoped, I would suck it up and do the tracks again, with white gouache.  I would also insert occasional, strategically placed brushstrokes with metallic acrylics to accent the shimmering effect.

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The task was not as daunting as it seemed, since I had a template of the previous marks left by the alum solution, albeit a little on the faint side.  My job now was to make those marks readily discernable.  Make them pop.  The popping was made possible by employing metallic acrylic juxtaposed with white gouache.

An underexposed photo to dramatize the effect of the metallic acrylic and gouache,

It was in fact quite satisfying for the OCD in me. 

 

The darker areas, especially the areas below the crest lines were written in with ink added to my indigo.

This in effect rendered the ripples more three dimensional.

It was necessary to stand on my feet to finish the painting.  The upright posture gave me better perspective in deciding where light value adjustments were needed.

This was the painting when dried,

I left the painting on the wall and glanced at it whenever I was in the room.  I realized that I was mesmerized by the rich layers in this work.  It dawned on me that the alum solution had created a faint but definite footprint, on which were layered watercolor, metallic acrylic and the highlight was provided by the opaque white gouache; each of them contributing their own nuances and various degree of transparency.  There was such complexity in the resulting salad.

So glad  I didn't trash my painting.  I suppose I should enjoy being the Captain of my shrimp boat for a while.  

Water ripples again

It was time to enjoy my new toy again.  My airbrush.  I charged the battery to 100 percent and I was ready to rock and roll. 

My subject matter would again be water ripples.  There's something about that ephemeral shimmer that hypnotizes me.   

This time around I would use a semi-sized Xuan paper and see how that would work with my alum solution.

I began the laborious task of laying down the shimmers with the alum solution.  Perfect opportunity to practice my center-tip and side-tip brushstrokes.

I angled my desk lamp to see the tracks better,

After that was completed, I placed my paper over newspaper and was ready for the airbrush.

The resulting piece was extremely disappointing,

The alum solution did not provide a strong blocking, or "resist" effect.  The tracks were mottled and faint.  Definitely not the result I was anticipating.  I didn't know if that was due to the fact that the paper was already semi-sized.

Perplexing.

I was distraught enough to abandon my project.  I was not being complacent but I had always accepted the fact that a lot of my attempts ended up in trash cans. 

Couple of days later I decided to re-engage my painting, hopefully to gain a fresh perspective and figure a way out.  The tracks did look more succinct now that the paper was thoroughly dried.

Should I airbrush on more layers of the indigo and hope for a more intense contrast or should I repeat my alum solution brushstrokes and then airbrush again and hope for a better reveal?

I had waited a few days to come this far, no harm in waiting for a few more days to devise a more concrete solution.

Giving context to Once upon a time in the West

 My Once Upon A Time In The West painting has been decorating my wall for a while.

I didn’t hate the painting, but I had the feeling it was missing something. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Maybe it was too realistic and didn’t give the viewer much room to dream. Beautiful scenery is everywhere, right? It’s like having a great meal without dessert. It doesn’t need to be fancy or extravagant like a flambé or table side white-gloves soufflé service. A few pieces of chocolate would do just fine for me. 

I knew it was so cliché, but placing a couple of Natives on horsebacks might add some context to my painting.

Off I went to a proof of concept rendition of my protagonists,

Satisfied with the sample, I forged ahead with the real attempt.

I picked a location for my horse insertion.  Since the painting had been mounted, the treated paper was making a little fuss in taking on new ink.  The ink tended to bead up and was uncooperative in following the brushstroke.

Added the second horseman,

I could see that my painting was trying to tell a story now,

The black and white painting somewhat camouflaged the figures, especially because I placed the riders in the darker areas of the painting.  

Perhaps they are my Easter eggs?

I decided to add another person to the painting.  I picked a lighter spot this time and the ink seemed to flow a little better. 

The new face of the painting,   I loved the contrast between the more obscure riders and the obvious one, who seemed to have climbed up the hill for the encounter. 

I couldn't help but recall some interesting tidbit about a famous contemporary Chinese artist by the name of  Wu Guanzhong.  He did a drawing of the Suzhou museum (I think),

  

and subsequently altered it a bit by simplifying the composition and added a couple of swallows.

One art critic called this the Mondrian of Mr. Wu's.

The metamorphosis of his painting was dramatic. It transitioned from a plein-air work to something that was quite poetic. Swallows in Chinese culture symbolize loyalty and nurturing. These birds diligently care for their young and return to the same nest year after year. In his painting, the swallows are diminutive and almost imperceptible to casual observers. However, their insignificance magnifies their profound presence in the artwork for those who comprehend the underlying sentiment.

According to one account, people sought to acquire this painting for an astronomical sum of money but it was not for sale.  Some art critic called this work ”Wu’s Mondrian”.  I personally think this is quite unnecessary. I’m not sure if it elevates or demeans his work. He subsequently donated this work to the Hong Kong Museum of Art.  Mr. Wu claimed that this was his most favorite painting.

And, I finally got my after dinner chocolates !