Calla series No. 25
21.5 x 14"
Watercolor on Saunders Waterford paper
Students come up with the best questions. In the midst of my experimental calla binge, some of my more advanced students asked how to paint something really different from their usual, something more than the setup sitting in front of them. They wanted to know how to put more of themselves in a painting.
So I broke out one of the calla paintings I’d prepped to begin, stuck it on the backboard and said, “One way is to start with something that’s impossible. Like a Richeson green calix.”
And I painted the calix bright, irrevocable, totally-not-real pthalo green. Instantly, I was painting straight from within, making wild color choices that just Felt Right, working with an implausible, truly exciting center of interest. I don’t know who was more amazed, my students or me. I love this one.
