Why I am starting Collections?

And why is my first the "Pink Collection"?

Since I was little I wanted to create art. I started with drawing and moved to painting as I got older. When I was small, I drew pictures from magazines, characters from movies and anything else that inspired me. As I went into high school, I learned to paint things around me instead of from photos. As I progressed, I realized my brain likes to see exactly what I'm going to paint and paint it exactly the way I see it. I guess I'm a dominantly left brain artist. So, as I grew up my goal was always to paint realistic, to learn and gain knowledge about how to recreate what I saw. I learned a lot about shading, values, and all of the academic knowledge one needs to paint realistically. But once I got into college, I began to realize that painting exactly what I saw was not my aesthetic, it was not what I liked when I looked through art's history. I liked the paintings that had marks, painterly or bold brush stokes, and that were not completely abstract yet not completely realistic. So, I find my left side brain and my right side brain battling (it's a mess in there)! My default is to paint what I see, so I have to fight the need to have everything perfect and let go of control to find the painterly and creative art I want to make. I struggle with creativity, not technique. When I began painting professionally several years ago, I did not have a style, and experimented with finding one. I started with slightly altering colors, then drastically altering colors.

Then I came across watercolors and I found the medium that helped me loosen up a bit more. With some unpredictability and beautiful textures, watercolors became my favorite medium.

With no repetitive specific style, medium, or subject, my paintings don't always go together. This has led to a portfolio that looks like several different artists painted it. But with each concept, I've learned new ways to add creativity to my art. If you see a realistic painting, that's me taking it easy. If it has elements of abstract, large brush strokes, altered colors, splashes, or anything not perfectly representational of what's there, I'm outside my comfort zone and pushing my boundaries. I'm trying to have it all, finding a balance in my paintings between both loose and realistic.

So I've decided to create color collections. With the hope that painting with a limited palette will create a cohesive collection, I started the color theme pink. The "Pink Collection" was inspired by a recent purchase of Daniel Smith's Rose of Ultramarine Watercolor and the seasonal change happening right now, Spring. The paint is a granulating paint, which creates an amazing texture. It has two pigments in it, Ultramarine Blue and Quinacridone Rose. While the blue pigments settle, the pink float and amazing magic happens. Magic that is unpredictable and takes away some of my control, removing some of the internal struggle. The "Pink Collection" is a limited palette of Daniel Smith Watercolors Cadmium Yellow Hue, Organic Vermillion, Rhodonite Genuine, Moonglow and the occasional Ultramarine Violet.

I began this collection with "Pink Lemonade" (pictured above) and finished it with "Glowing Deep" (pictured below)

As I began this collection, I found that limiting my color theme helped me focus. With endless possibilities of what can be created, focusing on a color helped relieve some of the stress of knowing what to paint. Even beyond that, I ended up going to a local florist and picking out a ton of flowers. Having the flowers as a subject, pinpointed my focus even more. While each painting is still quite different, their colors help bring them together. I tried to use all of the aspects of creativity I've learned to this point to create these pieces. They have some really unique textures, mark making and colors I love. You can view some videos of the process on my Instagram.

While each painting is unique, I believe through the limited palette they made a more cohesive collection than any of my paintings before. I doubt I will ever settle on painting just one thing, in one style, over and over again. I think it's the part of being an artist that excites me so much, that the possibilities are limitless.

So, as I begin this new journey, I want to thank you for joining me on it. Thank you for being here and reading about my thought process behind this new collection. It's a bit more than just a color to me.

Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new. -Brian Tracy