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By Barb DeRousie
“I began painting with watercolour in the winter of 2012, and in the Spring of 2013, I entered a student art show and, to my surprise, sold eleven paintings! I continued my newfound passion of painting with watercolours, doing commissions, entering art shows and finally joined an art collective in 2017, and two years later I had my first solo art show. In the Spring of 2020 I took a twelve week online art course and turned to mixed media abstract, painting with acrylic–I haven’t looked back since then, and am passionate about my work.
“Keeping the work fresh & exciting keeps me wanting to get back to the studio!” My process:
I start out by going out in nature and letting go of any preconceived ideas or attachment I might have to a particular result. I do not use a reference to paint from but rather a deep knowing of what ignites passion in me.
I work in multiples, usually a minimum of three to four paintings, depending on the size. I start on one, working on it until I feel satisfied, for now, then I move onto the next one, and so on. As artist and mentor Nicholas Wilton says, “It’s like raising children—you want to give them all equal attention!”
As I progress in the series, and they get closer and closer to completion, the progress slows down as I become more discerning about what the painting needs next.”
It’s a call and response process of adding and taking away, until the work feels “done”.
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