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| Image used with permission ©2015 Matt Moberly |
Had a simply splendid evening this week after being invited to do a show & tell + demo for the Fairbanks Watercolor Society (website here + Facebook page here). A wonderful group of folks who meet monthly and offer supportive encouragement and networking with a welcoming camradery that is of special note in our creative community. They routinely host talks from a diverse roster of artists, many outside of their own medium so as to expand their range of interests and expose themselves to a wide range of influence. That's an admirable lesson which any artist would do well to remember and to emulate, since it can be so easy to develop a sort of tunnel-vision when it comes to what's familiar + comfortable habits. And it was especially humbling to be in the same room with some seriously skilled practitioners of the craft which I am only starting to explore in my own work. Over the course of preparing for the presentation I mulled over the weird synthesis of technique, and the simultaneously opposite or contradictory directions my evolution of style is taking me: while one of the hallmarks of traditional pen + ink is tight, even obsessive control of mark-making, when that is juxtaposed against, for example, the recent trend in my "Sketchbook" series of "finished doodles," and the inclusion of more and more wash, it's interesting how a wet medium like watercolor provides a sort of looser, spontaneous aesthetic element to the mix. Also there's the contrast between digital versus manual coloring, best exemplified by this piece "Dogyard Symphony."
Also got the chance to have a sort of reunion with some former students, including current ones, and even meet some new folks. Pictured is the Special Edition of the panel, "AK Zodiac," previous posted about here... except it was live with bonus director commentary in this instance, even a little bit animated (soon as the coffee kicked in).
Special thanks to Becky Anderson for the gracious invitation, the volunteers behind the scenes at hosting these events, and Matt Moberly for the images (visit his photography page here + Etsy watercolor page here).
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| Image used with permission ©2015 Matt Moberly |
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