What first inspires me to paint and specifically in watercolor is the way the natural light lands on and comes through things in the natural world.

Whether it is light on baskets, light refracted through colored bottles, as sprinkled on gardens or coming through leaves and flowers, revealing their transparency, I want to capture that light happening.

I came to art through drawing. Drawing is completely mesmerizing for me. Because watercolor is transparent, there are places where the drawing shows through. I like that the underlying structure is partially apparent.

Also requisite for me to be happy with my painting is an extreme contrast of light to dark. I maximize the scale from the white of the paper to the saturated dark of layers of paint sitting atop each other and so satisfy my eye.

 

For a time, I had despaired that my passion for painting had waned and that my passion for the spiritual pilgrimage was replacing it. Then, in a spontaneous, creative moment I was inspired to put Guadalupe in my painting.

Looking back, now 10 years after this original inspiration, I can see how the paintings come from some level of my awareness that is beginning to intuit what is going on deeper within me.  The first painting, “Ave Maria Guadalupe” visually describes my need to feel loved and know that I can love.

There are more apparitions drawn waiting to be painted and still more conceived of and not yet drawn. Each one wants to bring my hidden concerns to light. I guess She is the figurative embodiment of the natural light I love to paint.

 

 

These paintings arose from a gallery owner’s comment that I simplify my painting. Happily, I found a way to please both of us. I was able to honor my creative eye by painting to my heart’s content the intricacies of each flower. And the plain white paper background fulfilled his vision for simplifying.

For the titles of each iris I sat with the paintings and let words stream through until the one which felt right settled. I liked that an iris could have integrity….just for being herself.

The “Iris Integrity Series” is available as “giclees” printed on aluminum. Click here for size, pricing and to purchase prints and artcards.