"Brainstorming"

($40.00......6" x 6"......mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard panel)


"A conversation with a friend is the root or essence of brainstorming." I can truthfully say that I can sort out my thoughts much better when discussing them with another person. Everyone is advised to get an attorney when facing legal issues and not to be their own counsel. There is a reason for that. The same is true in life situations. It is wise to seek counsel and that friend needs to have wisdom.

This is a rather bright pouring medium piece, but I was experimenting with transparent colors and layers. Pyrrole Orange and Green Gold are very transparent colors. (This information is on every bottle of Golden Fluid Acrylics.)  I did actually pour a base coat of very pale orange mixed with a lot of white and a higher ratio of pouring medium. However, the brighter undiluted orange rather overtook everything.

The transparent colors moving over the stamped lettering was interesting to me, but I needed to calm down the intensity of that orange. I did add two collage elements with neutral colors and a different texture that helped a lot. It also helped to write the quote in white. (White is always a calming color.)  The lettering is still a bit light, but the decision to do heavier lettering with such an active background was not an option to me. And I always like the idea of keeping the lettering more integrated into the background so it is barely discernible from a distance, but readable up close. And this will be the dilemma every time you step into the fine arts side of things with a desire to create a painting that also includes lettering. A straight line of lettering will have a calming effect without overtaking the piece. Save the gestural, more expressive lettering for a piece where the colors are more neutral and there is very little detail going on.

These are just some of the things I think about on a regular basis. And I can tell you that it took me over an hour to decide where to place my collage elements to help offset the strong color blocks of orange. It did not work until I printed my texture on silk tissue paper so the background could be seen through the paper. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.