Layering and Masking – Three Watercolors

Jun 23, 2022 | twodoves blog

John says:

These three paintings represent a technique I’ve been playing with for about two years now. The technique involves masking off areas, applying a wash and repeating as necessary. The number of layers determines how detailed it can become. More layers provide more detail, but each additional layer degrades the freshness. Keeping the number of layers to a minimum forces me to find the shapes that best represent what I’m trying to convey.

“Folders”

“Street Music” was probably my first single layer (only one layer of mask). “Underwood” is a more recent 3-layer piece.

“Street Music”

“Underwood”

Cindy says:

“Folders” was the first painting that uses what John calls ‘Mac’s Gray’. It is his own mix of pigments and is included in his color wheel and palette. They called him ‘Mac’ in the Navy, and it stuck.

Find tips on making neutral tones on John’s Blog, “Many Ways to Gray“.

A Few Abstracts

May 25, 2022 | twodoves blog

This group of abstracts are geometrics. “Flat Earth Proof” is about tangents. “Nautilus” and “Out to Sea” are based on the Golden Ratio.

“Flat Earth Proof”

John says:

In Geometric paintings I like to design in pencil and then ‘dam off’ areas using thick masking fluid applied with a ruling pen. This creates areas where I can work in very wet and let the pigments find their own art. I get them wet to a flow state, drop in pigment, and use gravity and time to influence the result.

“Nautilus”

“Out to Sea”

Cindy says:

John likes math. He likes to apply it to practical things, constantly seeking. I’m liking that his math skills (and passion for it) found a way into his art.

See more Abstracts

The Plot

May 8, 2022 | twodoves blog

“The Plot”, is a series of paintings with a familiar subject in John’s art: old men.

Cindy liked the ‘unfinished’ look of this one and framed it before John knew it, resulting in the Original “Plot”. John wasn’t so sure about that idea, so he tried some different approaches.

“Number Two”

Watercolor with fully completed background

“Number Three”

Pastel sketch with some ‘unfinished’ areas

Back to Watercolor

Number 4 incorporates John’s ‘frisket-signature’ for the first time in his watercolors. Number 5 and 6 are the results of practicing to complete the scene within an hour.

“Number 4”

“Number 5”

“Number 6”

“The Final Plot”

Watercolor by John McLaren
Art 9×7 | Matted 14×11

Presented at the Murray Art Guild Monster Draw, September 2019

The seventh, and ‘Final Plot’ was presented to the holder of the raffle ticket with John’s number on it. Both John and Cindy participated in this community art celebration in support of Murray Art Guild.

Cindy says: We like to practice and it is the ‘practice’ that we love.