Thursday, May 3, 2012

intermediate watercolor homework: Assessing your work

Every once in a while it's a good idea to pin up several of your recent works and stand back to see what is revealed. To be sure not to get overwhelmed, aim for just one revelation at a time. What is your current bugaboo?
You probably have a feeling for an aspect of your painting practice that needs some work. In my case it's my unwillingness to combine shapes of similar value. I know that having fewer shapes will strengthen my paintings, but I can't seem to let individual shapes merge into one bigger form. As usual, it's about letting go.
If you are aware of something that has been nagging you, start there. The purpose of the review is to come up with a plan for one thing to work on. How will you use your strengths to support your weaknesses? If you have no idea what you should take on as a task, let the paintings tell you. This involves awareness skills that we all need to practice. If nothing surfaces, hang the paintings upside down.
Bring in an example or two of what you notice, and let the crowd make suggestions. Think of it as spring cleaning.

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