It began with my need to integrate more analog in my life. I took on pen pals as an excuse to get away from the noise of the Internet and use ink, fountain pens, and paper. Then I got the idea to decorate envelopes using ink. After using ink as a wash, I realized what I needed was watercolors. So I got a Winsor & Newton half pan set and bottles of Dr. Ph Martin and went to work on these envelopes.
One day I found a pad of watercolor paper, and this was a sign that I should try a painting with watercolors. I had never created a watercolor painting before. My paintings 40 years ago were in oils. I never painted nudes either. Looking at the empty white watercolor paper, I was convinced that this could end in failure. This ink and watercolor painting was not a failure. I was amazed how a first attempt would turn out so well. Freehand drawing can be scary when you believe that your drawing froze at the age of eleven when you discarded drawing and painting for Drama. While I have done digital art, most of it was doing my own photography and manipulating it or doing collage. I drew the figure on the right and realized she was off-center, so I drew her companion next to her. I thought of Adam and Even being expelled from the Garden of Eden, but turned it around to be two women who have been made to feel shamed are now entering a warm womb or a place where they are safe and accepted as they are. This will always be my first painting. It was the first time I realized that painting can be a form of meditation as well as a way to express myself.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorD.K. Castellucci is an artist living in Marin County who works in oil and soft pastels, charcoal, gouache, and watercolors. Archives
January 2023
|