Painting of our Koi - "Circus"

I have decided I really like working water soluble oil paint. I am not as icky picky with details, mainly because I really have not figured out how to yet. (humour) But what I really like is the freedom I feel when I use it.  Having fun. 


I love the movement of the fish - they way they circle around when they think I am offering food.  The water moves creating variations in the reflections and are perfect for painting.  We find antics of the fish  mesmerizing. I often find myself watching them from a deck chair for long periods of time while enjoying the sun.  I called this painting "Circus" as these guys are so entertaining and so brightly colored.


These are some of our koi that live in our backyard pond. Actually I have painted one fish Hoover in this painting three times.  

This one is 24 x 24 - I think the next one will be mush larger!.

A diversion, distraction, digression ... you get the idea

I am currently working on another large painting with water soluble oils. This is still a foreign concept to me - I mean the waiting thing between the layers.

And so, to fill in time frow all the waiting, I am also painting a full sheet watercolor of my Japanese Quince bush - large, lots of detail and almost monochromatic.

Somewhere between lost patience and working so intently on a large pieces, I found the need to, well, digress.  I have been curious about pouring paint and using a masking compound (hate them).  I started a doodle of sorts of my koi fish named "hoover" - mixed little pans of colors and dove in without really a clue what I was doing.

The masking stuff - well in addition to being sticky and difficult to apply with any accuracy, it stinks - I mean really smells bad. Smells worse than nail polish remover! But I persevered.  Layer of paint - hair dryer - mask - layer of darker paint - hair dryer - mask.... and rub, erase, rub some more, erase some more.  And then I got to tidy it up with a brush.

Overall I really like the batik quality of this little painting - and - from a distance, it almot looks like I knew what I was doing!  And you know, I had lots of fun. So now back to the studio!