Many artists who have worked with young children notice that they have a natural ability to create effective design using contrast, shape and color. As children mature, their natural strength in design is often replaced by their desire to "get it right". Over the years, I've sought to return to these beautiful designs and subordinate hard facts to a more appealing design-oriented direction.
I like to set up paintings that allow me to discover new motifs. In the watercolor at the right, "Adirondack Chair", I used a color underpainting to achieve the variation in color and texture on the side of the building. My article in the April 2011 Watercolor Artist magazine entitled, "Setting the Tone" discusses methods for opening intuitive paths to successful paintings. Hope you get a chance to check it out.
