Nature’s influence on may art
NATURE’S INFLUENCE ON MY ART
When I mention watercolor, what springs first to mind?
First, don't cheat!!
You probably spotted a landscape or a portrait, which are both classics in the world of watercolor.
By nature, I want to go for less worn pathways, so I have always been rather reluctant to approach such overused themes.
However to set Owl's children's books, I required a valley, a forest, and a scenery. And so a stylized, imagined, and illustrated landscape was born, obviously not a classic one, but one that has accompanied me in all of my books for many years!
Things evolved over time, and one day I felt free to recreate what I experienced and witnessed when trekking in the mountains, rather than attempting to duplicate reality.
I gave myself the freedom to rewrite reality through sensations and replicate it in the shape of semi-abstract landscapes. During my mountain walks, I am usually open and listening at first: noises, colors, shapes, and fragrances, often quietly, occasionally chatting with a few friends who share my enthusiasm.
Then comes the inevitable time when I close myself in an internal focus and allow myself to be contaminated by what I've felt.
Even though I usually have my drawing materials with me, I occasionally need time to let everything settle. So after a while, while I'm in the studio, I start painting how nature made me feel.
Yes, because what I remember most is how I felt, not what I saw or what happened. And now that I think about it, I notice that I have the same experience with other people.
In the words of Maya Angelou: "I've learned that people can forget what you said, people can forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
