Sunday, May 4, 2014

Exploring Small Worlds

"Dark Forest", small exploration, VClaff, watercolor on paper 2014

I suppose I'm not too surprised by the dark and moody paintings that have come 
out of me since I began painting again. Its been a long, intense and challenging 
winter. I walked into the studio last Thursday, and began exploring small worlds. 



Small explorations, VClaff, watercolor on paper 2014

If you've been following my blog for a while, you probably know that I re-enter 
my creative process with multiple small pieces, exploring color, mood, and 
warming up my wash technique. The photo below gives a sense of scale, I 
hope, the smalles work in the lower left corner is just about 3" x5", about 
the size of the bottom left above. 




Though I haven't been in the studio working since December, I found a flow again immediately. This is not to say that I am satisfied with each piece, no, but with 
each, I learn something about where I am, what wants to be said on a large 
scale and what needs attention in my technique. I appreciate many of the small 
explorations in their own right, but enjoy the challenge of working larger and 
the visual impact the large forest paintings have on a space. When I get a few 
logistics worked out in the studio, I will begin a series of very large forests. 


Small exploration, VClaff, watercolor on paper 2014

"Gold Afternoon", VClaff, watercolor on paper 2014

"Through the Hemlocks", VClaff, watercolor on paper 2014

"Late Afternoon Light", small exploration VClaff, watercolor on paper 2014

"Clearing", small exploration, VClaff, watercolor on paper 2014

"Dusk", small exploration, VClaff, watercolor on paper 2014

"Old One", small exploration, VClaff, watercolor on paper 2014

"Spring", small exploration, VClaff, watercolor on paper 2014

Small exploration, VClaff, watercolor on paper 2014

The painting below was started as a demonstration of my painting process for my 
open studio in December. It is a larger piece - half a sheet of watercolor paper. 
(not quite this orange, I don't think) It was just the first wash layer until today, 
when I worked most of the afternoon on the trees. It may still need one small tree 
on the right side, but we'll see. 


In progress, VClaff, watercolor on paper, 15" x 22" 2014 


Now that school is over until late August, I am settling into a new routine - having 
coffee and breakfast in the moss garden if the weather allows, and doing small 
chores before beginning work in the studio. Yesterday, I sat and watched the 
first bloodroot bloom of the season open before my eyes. I could not detect 
any movement, but bit by bit, it opened. Magical!





April was a very cold month, and now May is not warming up as much as it might,
either. My chore before the studio this morning, was to bring in a hefty load of 
firewood to warm the chilly nights ahead!! I'll leave you with images from my 
travels around town in April, and the tree around the corner which I have 
photographed over and over as it always has such a wonderful dialogue with the 
powerlines and clouds.