Yesterday I stole this painting from a morning workshop student. It was an accident that I stuffed it in my bag with my demos. And I feel very bad about taking it because I promised to leave it out for him after my class. He cared about it so much that he wanted to take it right after lunch, but was OK with me using it as a demonstration. I am sorry I am not good at remembering names so if anyone knowing him sees this post please have him call me so I can return it with big apologies.
The stolen painting is a good example of what I was teaching - beginning a painting by marring the surface slightly by splattering a dilute neutral color and letting it dry.
The purpose of splattering the paper are four. First, slightly damaging the perfect machine made paper could help free a person from having to feel their work must be perfect. Second, leaving the objects almost pure white, while painting all around the object outline, the painter has an immediate feel for the whole picture plane without obsessing with the details of the object. Of course painting the negative area is not the only way to start a painting: I intend this beginning only for people who have not painted with watercolor. Third, the splattered white has a finished feel inside the object as soon as there is a good deal of color shapes in the picture. A slightly sullied white is a better reference than the unfinished look of unpainted paper. The splattered empty of detail is helpful for deciding where the lightest lights will be. Fourth, splattered or marred paper is helpful in adjusting the medium darks and darkest darks in relation to the lightest highlights in a watercolor painting.
If all else fails maybe next year, the stolen painting will be at the workshop and hopefully the wronged student will be back and will be able to claim it.
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