Yikes Getting Old

Through the years my preferred medium for my artwork has changed. 

I never really drop any, I just keep adding to.

In college I did some watercolors, some clay, but drawing and printmaking were what I loved to do. I started drawing in pencil. One weekend I was at an art show and a young man said "have you ever thought of using a rapidiograph?" Frankly I didn't even know what it was, but I sought one out and spent the next 25 years doing my drawings with one.

Mostly doing drawings of architecture, some railroad scenes and birds.

We were in Aspen Colorado when I started adding color to my ink drawings by painting the birds I drew with my pen.

color added to bird

I had worked in black and white so long I no longer knew how to mix color but I could handle painting a single bird.

When we came to New Bern I started drawing our waterfront and adding color to my architectural drawings.

Ink drawing with watercolor added

I gradually dropped the ink, using just watercolor.

Different papers give different looks

watercolor

Then we bought a house and we wanted to put our mark on it. So got some clay and starting making tiles, which led us to a whole other art form.

Painting on clay with underglazes

Since then I've dabbled in acrylics and most recently in oils. I am really intreigued with them.

Acrylic

However, like I said - I never quit working in any of my other mediums - each one has its place for a particular use.

oil

Today I had to do a detailed house portrait, haven't done one in a couple years (lately my house portraits have been done in watercolor) - so today when I picked up my pen and started drawing those fine lines - I could really tell the difference in my eyes! I can't see like I used to, guess I'm getting old like I said.

Makes me remember that Monet (not comparing myself to him just making a point) was almost blind when he painted the large waterlily paintings - some of which are in the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris (one of which I slid down after tripping while viewing - that is another story).

He painted with wide brush strokes because that was all he could see creating impressionism.

So maybe that is why I am attracted to oil painting right now!