“River Bottom” Acrylic on Paper ©Ruth Armitage 22″x30″
Yesterday was a good day to work in the garden, but also a good day for painting. I had started this painting by smearing color left over from painting centerpieces for the Watercolor Society of Oregon Convention on a full sheet of watercolor paper. Yesterday, I continued developing it, using some of the techniques I learned in Judy Wise‘s Cold Wax online class, and some drawing techniques from the book I’m currently reading by Steven Aimone: Expressive Drawing.
This is not a literal interpretation of the bottom land on my parents’ farm, but it is something like how the place feels to me… tangled underbrush, water, grassland… I also started by looking to poetry for inspiration. I wrote the names of some of my favorite poets: Mary Oliver, Wendell Barry, Billy Collins, Pablo Neruda, in watercolor crayon on the toned paper. They became part of some of the shapes, line work, and color of the piece. A spiritual roadmap.
This is beautiful. I love the colors and the line work. Thanks for sharing your process and inspirations!
Thank you Sue! I’m working on a new one today, and trying to document my step-by-step process. I find it difficult to stop & take photos, but maybe it will be helpful to other artists! Stay tuned 🙂
I appreciate the strength of this piece, Ruth.
gorgeous work, ruth!
Nice Ruth, you`re on to something! Randall