I put the blue-green interaction of bismuth yellow and Peacock blue to good use today in my representation of an under-the-sea scape. I didn’t start out with this title in mind, however.

The horizontal green lines were produced by the interfaces between these yellow and blue pools of color. I obliterated some of them with a darker blue (Prussian blue), which I also applied to one side of the Indian yellow shapes I had laid down. Without thought of the undersea metaphor, I outlined the extent beyond the Peacock blue with red all the way to the corners of the paper. The idea was to provide contrasting color.

Abstract – Under the Sea
12″x16″ 140# Cold Pressed Watercolor Block

I chose the portrait orientation of this study because that position made the most sense to me. What is the proper orientation of an abstract? It must be what the artist says it is. Many artists plan their work meticulously, some don’t. I don’t adhere to any method in creating my abstracts, much to my dismay. For now it seems that my credo is, “that’s the way the cookie crumbles.” But I would rather be able to express myself according to a coherent philosophy of life, like Klee, Kandinsky, Cezanne or any other great artist.