My Self-Invented Method
After photographing my subject matter, I would trace the image on Arches watercolor paper using a projector.
Then I implemented my unique layering process:
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Firstly, I would drop clear water into a defined area on my watercolor paper with my brush to make a little puddle.
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Then, with a fresh brush, I'd mix the pigment (color) from the tube(s) of paint with water on my palette, to a slightly creamy consistency.
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I then touched the tip of my paint + water-laden brush to the puddled water on the paper.
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I would pick up the paper and gently tilt it up and down so the pigment would blend evenly with the water. This took a lot of practice!
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As I allowed the layer to dry, I would rinse and repeat on another area of the painting.
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I would repeat the process, over and over, building up the color slowly with each layer added. ​​​​​​​​​​​​
Still-life setup on my lanai in Kona
Completed painting :: Carmen's Passion
​​​​​​​​​This painting, Carmen's Passion, shows my still life setup and the finished painting.
The yellow plumeria, red and green coffee berries, papaya and lilikoi (passion fruit), were harvested wild from our property in Kainaliu.
(Notice the bottom on the mango on the far left, I snuck in a sliver of orange light!)
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In the darker sections of my paintings, there are upwards of 10 to 12 layers of the pigment/water mixture, creating the most saturated jewel-tone colors imaginable.
​​​​This piece and most all of my major works took 35 to 45 hours from conception to completion. I like to think that my paintings are better than nature!
