Spiral Gyre #4 to WSO Spring Experimental Exhibition

Hello!  I am thrilled to say that my painting Spiral Gyre #4 has been juried into the Watercolor Society of Oregon’s (WSO) Spring Experimental Exhibition. (Yay!)

The Juror.

My sincerest thanks to Juror Ms. Jean Pederson for accepting Spiral Gyre #4 into the show.  Jean Pederson’s expressive watercolor portraits first caught my attention.  So much so that I have a Watercolor Artist (F+W Publishers, Inc.) magazine from February 2008 right by my workspace.  One of Ms. Pederson’s portraits graces the cover of the magazine.  Her article “Making a Face” is one I like to refer to when creating my own portrait drawings.

In looking at her website, one can see that Jean Pederson works in multiple genres using watercolor and mixed media.  I invite you to take a look and enjoy her paintings.

Excellent Show.

One of 80 paintings selected for the show, I feel privileged and humbled to have my work included.  To explain, I have seen some of the other paintings selected by my friends and colleagues on social media.  The paintings are wonderful!  I believe it will be an excellent show, featuring a diversity of artists from around our state of Oregon.

Exhibition Details.

WSO is holding the exhibition at the Grants Pass Museum of Art, 229 SW G St, Grants Pass, Oregon.  The show opens on 5 April and will run through 23 May, 2024.  Museum hours are 10 am to 5 pm, Tuesdays through Saturday.

About Spiral Gyre #4.

In Spiral Gyre #4 of the “Spiral Gyre” series, the main spiral is starting to unravel.  In this depiction, I wanted to hint at movement and depth.  And, who knows, maybe the spiral will tighten up again as it spins around?

Also, as I have been developing this series of paintings, I’ve been thinking of the cosmos and spiral galaxies in particular.

My Process.

As is my favorite method, I created a concept drawing first.  This allows me to play with ideas.  Or, you could say, I like to think with pencil and paper at hand.  As I said above, I thought that a spiral unraveling would be interesting.  Other than that, I did not have a mental picture yet.  So, over time, ideas began to develop.  I add tonal value to help me see if the concept will work as a watercolor.

Eventually, though, I get impatient and want to transfer the drawing over to watercolor paper to see what will happen. For this version, I chose my color palette purposefully.  Why?  Simply put, I wanted to see the interactions of reds and grays.  The grays are a mixture of red and its complementary color green. Also I think it speaks to the energy of the unraveling spiral.

You may notice that the painting differs from the drawing.  I like to allow myself the freedom to change things as I work.

Thanks To Exhibition Volunteers.

I would like to extend a huge THANKS to the WSO Spring Exhibition Chair Persons and Team as I realize it is a lot of work.  You have secured a first class venue and it will be a wonderful show.

Invitation.

I invite you to stop by the Grants Pass Museum of Art to see the show this April and May.  Thank you!