Tall House On Blaine Rd — Fourth and Final

It's no secret I've been working on some watercolors lately to use in my work. It's been so crazy difficult, and I really hate to admit that but it's true. Painting is HARD for me, it's probably one of the most difficult things I have ever tried to do. My skill set seems weak in this area, and I have tried to improve and often dream of being really good at it.

BUT

It appears a tho my lifetime won't be long enough for me to achieve this goal! The amount of practice needed for me to be a great painter...well I don't think I have the time! I am already 50! HA! I worked on one piece lately that is just plain ol' kickin' my butt. The piece is called Tall House on Blaine Rd. I posted at least twice here about this particular work. I have already tried 3 times to produce a watercolor that fits the vision that I have in mind. Each time I succeed on one little portion of the painting, but the rest of the painting (pardon my bluntness) is just plain ass. It doesn't help that each time I try, I do something a bit different to experiment. I have been left feeling less than satisfied each time I have done this and my confidence level is flatlined.

MEANWHILE

I haven't said too much, but collage and I have been strangers. I have felt very mechanical about my work this year, and I have stepped back and stopped working in this medium for a few months hoping to either reset my habitual nature, or hoping for some new technique or perception to take over. Needless to say, neither of these things have happened. I started to feel further and further away from the collage medium instead. And the watercolor medium did not start to feel any more familiar in this time, either!I felt as tho my creativity and artistic nature was leaving me.

SO

Finally this weekend I sat down and oddly enough I felt the collage mood taking over. It's been months...I was actually nervous about it. I had the 3 previously mentioned Blaine Rd. watercolors staring at me in the studio, so I decided to just wing it and try doing a collage of this piece that has eluded me time and time again. And then it happened. That magic I have been missing, that inner joy and satisfaction, that inner CHALLENGE!

Tall House on Blaine Rd. 4

I started out this collage with a watercolor of it (oh yes, didn't I mention the FOURTH try?) that I decided already went south. I didn't like the painting, didn't think I could revive it, and figured why waste this fine L'Anaquarelle paper? It became the basis of this new collage work, Tall House on Blaine Rd 4...which at long last lives up to the vision that I had in the beginning for this piece.

Honest. For me...collage is where it's at. Even if I do take breaks now and then and dabble in other media. Collage is home.