In my paintings and drawings I often work from observation and incorporate imagery within a nonrepresentational framework. Last fall I began a large scale botanical watercolor painting, which is still in progress, a piece I return to from time to time. While I have been drawing plants and flowers in my work many years, in recent months I have been working on a series of individual botanical pieces. Selecting plants that pop up in our garden or yard, this spring I have painted henbit, wild strawberry, a violet, different garden seedlings, kale and cabbage, and the dandelion and carrot shown in process above. Carrot has drawn elements, writing, and color dabs surrounding the main image. Yet, I wanted Dandelion to be an austere image, it seemed stronger on its own. To me these pieces signify emerging from hardship rich in hope and a deepened perspective, and the perseverance to begin again.
At the beginning of this year Susan invited me to be contribute art to 10, Artstream's ten year anniversary exhibition, that opens tomorrow, May 4. With the idea of "ten" in mind, I decided to have (only!) five prints professionally made of Dandelion and Carrot, as an Artstream exclusive. I worked with a local artist and printer here in town on these, and am very happy with the quality. When I was looking at the prints and the originals side by side I was amazed how the fine detail represented so clearly in the print. The color remains as rich and true to the originals as well. These prints truly look like the original watercolor paintings! And of course they are archival quality, signed, titled, dated, and numbered by me.
10 opens concurrently with Sea to Sea, New paintings by Rachel Blumberg & Amy Ruppel, and features the work of about sixteen of Artstream's gallery artists. All the work will also be available in Artstream's online shop by tomorrow at 5 pm est. Congrats to Susan and Rainer on the first ten years of hopefully many more!