Metaphorical Landscape

This was a tough one. I started with a space helmet, with a landscape reflected on the spherical glass. Then I tried a mythical landscape of different masks. I tried this several times, but never got what I wanted.

Next came a tree with eyes like masks. This was ok, but to get the masks to read, I overworked it. 

I looked at landscapes I had photographed and selected a ski image from Portillo, Chili, because it had lots of jagged rocks that I thought could look like faces or masks.

Then I went back to the first idea and tried again to make it work, but it, too got overworked.

Talking to my son, I got the idea of going for a specific mask--a spa facial mask. I tired several landscapes within the face, a jungle, a desert, a fantasy dystopian wasteland, finally a city. The first go, the city was coming through too strongly, so, I did a wash to soften it. 

 En Plein Air

Outside Hagerstown, Maryland, February 21, 2021. It was cold. I had to go in for coffee while the water/wash dried. I took it in with me because I was afraid it would freeze. I took some liberties because I chose to use analogous colors (yellow, green, blue). One of the houses in the scene was red. 

 On the mask theme. This one is Mayan during the pandemic. 

This week was a monochromatic version of our object as metaphor. I chose blue for sadness as an emotion to hide behind a mask. Usually the mask is a sunny smile, but the emotion it hides is blue or sadness.  

I tried to "loosen up" but it is still a bit fussy (overworked) for a watercolor.  I'll have to keep working at relaxing and trying to be quicker and more free with this medium.

I used quite a bit of masking for the dots of metal.

Here is a detail of the lips.   
 

 First watercolor in ages. I used a lot of techniques, like salt in the upper background, scoring for some of the wood texture, splatter, different washes, dry brush, etc. Fun, but a bit to fussy. It is hard for me to just flow with the water. I hope to loosen up. Breathe. Relax, Breathe. Laugh.

We are working on metaphors.

She hid her feelings behind a mask.

AVT 692

This is the start of a new blog for my AVT 692 Class at George Mason University.

AVT 595

Starting a new blog session for my AVT 595 class at George Mason University.  I will be experimenting with at least three of these various media:  
1. crayons
2. chalk pastels
3. Oil and/or water soluble pastels
4. Colored pencils (Prismacolor)
5. Tempera paint
6. Watercolor pencils
7. Charcoal

Looking forward to some fun adventures.