Trident

This abstract painting was done awhile ago, I did not use lab doodles or preliminary sketches of any sort, instead producing the design on the paper in watercolour. The foreground shapes flow together into the background and off into the distance. In some ways it looks like a hand reaching out, with some pretty funky fingernails.

I never use pencil to make outlines on the watercolour works. I was told not to do this by an excellent painter by the name of Jon Joy, who pointed out that watercolour is transparent, and pencil will show through. Instead of pencil I use paint, usually a thin gre, which tends to dissapear. In the case of Trident, I used a dark blue green to establish the shape, which can be clearly seen in the final work. I think the strong green outline helps define the shapes and pull together the composision.

10x11 cold press paper, sometime between 1997-2001