Art!

I don't get a chance to do a ton of fine art, but yesterday I finally sat down and really got it out of my head. I have been inspired by vintage Japanese art for a long time. I always loved the painting "The Great Wave off Kanagawa," done around 1831 by Katsushika Hokusai. So here I have done my own interpretation of this. I am also in love with simple Japanese floral arrangements, the concept of wabi sabi and naturally beautiful things.

I started this process with some hot press Arches paper and did a watercolor wash as a background. Then I applied my stamp (see previous post!) as some added texture. I then painted using acrylic and watercolor. On the wave I interpreted the art with a sharpie first, and then filled it in with watercolor. I outlined some of the pluses to get that lovely detail that appears in the form of tiny calligraphy on some Japanese art.

The long pieces are 9" x 22.5" and the rectangle pieces are 13" x 19."

I am pretty happy with how things turned out! Felt good to really make something again. I plan on making more stamps and experimenting on some fabric. Can't wait!