Can you see cloud pictures?

Stars created with kosher salt

I can’t see pictures in clouds across the sky.  Can you?  One of my kids can make rabbits, volcanos, foxes, anything and everything from the negative and positive shapes created by clouds.  I think that’s why I’m having trouble with creating anything from my “for the bin” paint experiments a la Jean Haines.   If you don’t know her work, you should check it out.  She creates beautiful spontaneous paintings which are quite inspiring.

Texture created with cling wrap 

She encourages playing with paints and water, and considering them “for the bin” or the garbage can.  Kind of like a warm up exercise.  So far so good.  She then takes her bin pieces and makes beautiful art.  When I try that, the pieces are DEFINITELY heading for the bin.. LOL.  I have a lot of difficulty seeing the bigger picture of a shape, so I can’t go in confidently and put in the darks and other values to make it happen.  Instead I’m tentative, create mud, and get discouraged.

So these images are the “before” shots and we won’t even mention what they later became!

I will continue this practice because it teaches me about how certain pigments react with water and or other pigments, but I think I won’t plan on taking them to another level.  At least not for now.

So, as with other painting experiments, when they don’t work, I cut them up.  Sometimes the are cut into little squares, and in this case circles and I have ideas on creating something with them in the future.  We’ll see.  In the meantime I like seeing the beauty in these small pieces created from experimentation and sometimes frustration.