portrait of bill that he will never see

I'm still wondering what is my media. I've been having a ton of fun with gelli printing and book making and haven't done much drawing or painting except splatter painting. When I went fishing to Alaska I took one of my handmade books with the Nigedden paper and fully intended to draw or watercolor. I brought only ink pens and watercolors and colored pencils so that I wouldn't be distracted. Probably didn't need the pencils. I only used 6 pages (3 spreads) in the book.

I posted the three spreads to my latest Roz class (making round spine books) and she complimented me that I was using the book and not just looking at how beautiful it was empty. She suggested I use the watercolors with more intensity to be more opaque like gouache and then use white gouache as well.

Tonight, while Bill is gone on his old-guy camping trip with his old boy scout friends from grade school, I made a portrait of Bill. I have some photos of him and used one of the better ones. He sort of always looks crabby and I think this photo was taken when he didn't like me as much--when we (not we, I) was having the kitchen redone and he thought the old kitchen was fine and wanted nothing to do with any decisions (yay! I got to make them all!) was just generally a crab.

Bill knows I have my art project blog and my travel blog and has never asked to read either of them, and never even barely asks how my trip was and doesn't really look at my art projects and sometimes can't even see them when I've stuck them on the wall, so I'm pretty sure he will never see my portrait of him where I used watercolor with intensity.

This was done on one of the textured backgrounds and I used watercolor and white gouache and black pen. He sort of goes over the crack of the two pages. I must say, it looks like him.

I have to remember that one of Lars Lerin's advices to people was that it was okay to copy and that by doing enough copying you will find your own style. I think I copy Kat-style when I use acrylics and I copy Roz-style when I use inks and gouache and watercolor. Eventually I'll find my own? Just keep doing stuff. I do like making books and gelli printing. . . .