Frances Douglas

BEYOND THE BLUE

For my creative task I gave myself the challenge of painting a small watercolour each day using 'one brush, one colour, no pencil, no rubber'.

I chose to use Prussian Blue and using only this one colour meant I had to make full use of the tonal range to capture highlights, define areas and to create strong contrasts and focal points. I used paper I already had which was a mix of Bockingford NOT watercolour paper, Velin d'Arches Blanc and some handmade paper i had been given. I deliberately chose a brush that was a little too large for the paper size so I would not be tempted to get caught up with small details.

I found by sharing what I created on Instagram each day that conversations were started and friendships were made and re-kindled. People recognised places they knew, invited me to paint in their spaces, or sometimes just enjoyed and responded to a particular painting.

Although my main aim was to improve my skills, in this difficult year of 2020 my sketches gave me a daily focus and also a diary of the days during that time. I realised too that for some people who were following the progress of this project, it became, in a small way, something to look forward to each day. Quote from a friend when the project had ended: " Your paintings were something that we all looked forward to during lockdown. They represented our world through your eyes".

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