I finally started working on a series of new pieces on wood. I’m really liking the random textures I’m getting from the sealed and unsealed pieces.  I have never worked with wood before (I know, shocker.), but I’m trying to experiment with the grain.  I like how it creates a pattern and is already there before I even paint.  Some of the pieces have been sealed before, so the paint lays differently on the surface. Other ones I’ve left heavier brush marks of left the wood untouched so the color seeps into the porous surface. I’m liking the different reactions I’m getting.

I decided to choose 20 major rivers around the world.  I also decided to draw the river from the mouth (the end point).  It’s really interesting to follow these lengthy rivers on a map to find out where the origin is, and how most of these rivers run along borders of neighboring countries.  Almost all of these rivers actually run through several countries, making them hugely important to many cultures who build lives along the banks of these water bodies.  I think it’s one of the reasons why I choose rivers.  All civilizations start along water bodies, cultures grow up alongside of these important places and create their own systems of living.  Even though I’ve lived in many different places, I’ve always lived very close to rivers. Sometimes even blocks away.  There is something rich and interesting about waterways.  Symbolic and purposeful.

 

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