
A while back, after lunching with a friend in Pacific Grove, I popped into the Pacific Grove Art Center to have a look around. As soon as I walked in, I was captivated by a particular painting. Upon approaching it, I discovered that what I was admiring was a watercolor painting... On canvas! When I got home I immediately fired up my laptop and began a mad Google search to see what I could learn about painting with watercolor on canvas. My search turned up Fredrix Archival Watercolor Canvas at DickBlick.com. This is a fairly new product that allows watercolor paint to be applied to canvas. I immediately ordered several to play with. To my chagrin, these canvases did not behave like paper (duh!) and all my years of painting experience were useless to me. But I was determined to overcome my ignorance and so I set out to teach myself. I began to conduct a series of experiments, from which my current work developed. Those early attempts were bristled with frustration. Yet I persisted and went on to create a series of paintings inspired by the art making process itself, which was laden with emotional vulnerability. Struggle gave was to surrender, and in doing so I was able to access the courage to allow the art to emerge uncensored. I will be exhibiting this new series of paintings on September 28th, in downtown Santa Cruz. For details click here. I hope to see you there!