Isla Mujeres Art Camp January 2019

January 20, 2019

Isla Mujeres Art Camp January 2019

Below, a small selection of my paintings from Art Camp in Mexico in order of first to last painted. It doesn't look like much for a week of work. Except for some ink, all are watercolors or water-soluble pencil, crayon, or graphite.

What did I learn? What were my challenges?

One day I used only HUGE paper (11x15"); that was my challenge. I was able to fill up the page. Carrying all the supplies, easel, chair and the big paper is a challenge too. I want to be more quickly mobile.
I like my little water pens.
I like the 2” brush. I might have to get one someday.
I’m getting better at mixing greys and browns.
I’m almost out of Hansa yellow; must have used that the most.
I was much better at painting by having a time limit. I had 1.5 hours in the Mango hood and spent 15 min with the ring, 30 min with the walk, 30 min on one painting, 15 min on the moto-postcard, and a few minutes tidying up. At the boats, another 1.25 hours and some time to settle in and then 45 to paint, scribble and chat.
Virginia let me borrow her white square (must get one) and later she showed me what she had been working on – some spare emotive drawings of ink in a mulberry paper book using a lilac twig as the drawing stick. This makes me think I should bring my ink and a crucible and draw on the rivers/streams/lakes using a stick from the woods and the water of the place. And Virginia’s always working on some thing.
I think my better success day was when I challenged myself to go guerrilla painting because I had a small bag, small paper, and chair only. Compared to the day when I challenged myself with the big paper.
Monica suggested that I need to have a focus or a purpose in my paintings; that I needed to have a reason for making THAT painting. I might have the words wrong but through talking it came to be that I needed to tell a story. I told her how I like the Tara Sweeney fold out books and that maybe I need to make books with writing and bind them or make long folding things before or after. Monica made my painting of the Mango is much more powerful when she put the motorcycles on it. I didn’t when I made the painting because it was TOO challenging. She suggested mounting the motorcycle postcard on foamcore to the Mango painting and that it strengthens both of them because there is a story. She said, “of course, you know have energy in your work and that is your strength.” Yes. And I still think it’s anxiety of impatience or frustration.