"Chicago"
mixed media - watercolor and wax on 140 lb. paper
30" x 22"
For a while I have wanted to re-work several older watercolor paintings by incorporating wax medium and pigments, adding new dimensionality and details. Until now I have not combined wax with watercolor and I can tell there will be lots of experimenting to come.
Original watercolor painting
The original painting was inspired by the view I had of Boston from my coastal home although I painted the city as generic with no identifiable Boston landmarks.
View of Chicago seen driving in from I-90
The architecture in Chicago has been keeping me creative and I decided to use one of my photos as a reference allowing me to add details to the existing painting.
The wax added was minimal and it is easier to see on an angle with the light reflecting. I will have to raise the matt to prevent the wax from touching the glass once I frame this, it should be interesting although I know what needs to be done.
"Eventually, I think Chicago will be
the most beautiful great city
left in the world."
- Frank Lloyd Wright
Chicago does have such a beautiful skyline. I love being able to see it from the Lake on occasion too. Love this re-worked painting so much. Do you, sometimes I can see the Tower from a good 50 miles away on a clear day? I'm always snapping pics of it.
ReplyDeleteSherry, I think its incredible that we can see the skyline from such a far distance, its because of how flat it is here in the Midwest. In New England, there were hills, mountains, and curves, and it was impossible to get this kind of an all encompassing view of the city (plus Boston is much smaller than Chicago).
DeleteI have always loved the skyline of Chicago, lovely experiment you did that added a depth to the water color. So does the wqax stick on the paper?
ReplyDeleteThe wax is fused with heat onto the watercolor paper, and the paper is a rough surface which allows fusing the wax to be compatible. The challenge for me was to raise the matt in the frame in order to prevent the wax on the painting from being flush against the frame glass (and I am having a local frame shop help me out with that).
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