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MEDIUM: Scratchbord™ with Watercolors
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SIZE: 10" x 8"
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STATUS: Sold
"I feature two of my favorite subjects in this scratchboard painting: wildflowers and weathered barnwood. The black background and the process of scratching down to a white surface favor subjects with light values and strong textures.
Wild queen anne's lace grows abundantly where I live, flowering in early summer. It graces fencelines, pastures, country roads, and the land around old barns and buildings. I've amassed a big collection of digital reference photos of these lovely white lacy flowers and I've created (and sold) several paintings which included queen anne's lace.
In composing my painting, I positioned the main flower against the black background, with unopened blossoms, stems, and feathery foliage arranged so some overlapped the barnboards. I used a number of different scratching and abrasive tools to "draw" in white on the black India ink surface which covers the layer of white clay. The tiny hair-like fibers which grow along the stems were easily added with the sharp tip of an x-acto blade. Once all scratched, I cleaned the panel and added color with transparent watercolors. The final stages involved additional scratching and painting, to capture the lovely details and create depth with layers."
