Le Scale e La Cantina - I (step 3)

9”x12” Smooth Bristol Board,
Pari, Grosseto Italia

I actually have something of a love-hate relationship with this piece, if for no other reason than it is so very different from most of my other works of art. Rather than beginning with pencil, and then progressing to ink before painting, I reversed the process for this piece. I even skipped my initial step of building out a sketch in pencil before finalizing the form.

I began this piece by building out form using the paint, and then adding in structure through the ink afterwards. Instead of seppia ink, I chose to use black, partially to offset the intensity of the Winsor & Newton watercolors, as well as to try something new.

One thing that continues to surprise me about this piece is the level of depth that this approach gave rise to. Even through the darkness of the black ink, the paint strokes give it a sense of depth and cohesion that I have found challenging to capture in my other approaches.

At least that is what I see.

What about you?

Yours in inspiration,
Michael Weaver