Perfectionist

"I focused on a maritime theme in preparing this scratchboard which I earmarked as an entry into an exhibition to be held in Florida. The subject found me as I was walking on a dock at a marina one sunny day. My earlier small scratchboard of a ball of twine against a wooden background, "I Will Twine," perhaps primed me to recognize a boat line, meticulously fastened to the dock, as a perfect subject for a scratchboard. The terrific textures were just what I was seeking for a new, large scratchboard painting.

In the composition I arranged from my reference photos, I was able to incorporate various elements which help create an interesting and unique artwork: a variety of shapes (linear and round), a range of values (black to white with many shades of grey in between), an assortment of textures (rough and smooth), and differing edges (hard and soft).

Scratchboarding can be an intense artistic venture, but one which I find extraordinarily challenging and rewarding. I'm hooked!"

P.S. I got this painting into the Florida exhibition!