I get to the point sometimes, when it is hard to continue revisiting the plight of my brother Mike* and our relationship, or lack thereof. However, my obsessive fascination with him (even though I haven’t seen him in a couple of years) has led me delve into a many related but diverse realms, i.e., philosophy and the theory of mind; neuroanatomy and brain damage; treatment of the mentally handicapped; different approaches to abstract art.

Today’s watercolor experiment:

Today’s study is not related to Mike at all; I want to get back to abstract painting. I began my watercolor by dripping latex resist on my paper and creating a pattern by tilting and moving it around.  After drying I painted primary colors in the enclosed areas. I removed the resist to reveal the white, unpainted areas and painted them with secondary colors. My idea was to surround an area of color with its compliment.

Primary-Secondary
9″x12″ 140# Cold Pressed Watercolor Block

I reached the burnout point before, having to curb my obsession with Mike (see Palette Cleanser from February 8, 2014). However, even that post ended with a return Mike.

I know I won’t exhaust Mike’s influence on my artwork. Hopefully it will lead me forward expand my vision in more creative ways without being redundant.

• Mike is my older brother who is autistic, low functioning and nonverbal. He is currently in a geriatric group home.