Experimenting

This is my very first "public" painting. I have painted for many years, but kept my works private...hidden. I'm experimenting with different canvasses and paints. This is water color on cotton canvas. I used a partly Fauvist approach to some of my color choices and overly dramatized facial features. Kees van Dongen is my inspiration. See more of his works here (my favorite The Corn Poppy 1919) and here.

I sketched in pencil on the canvas before layering the watercolors on the rough surface.  It was very interesting how the watercolor interacted with the cotton.  Some colors worked better than others. Blue (turtleneck) and gray (background) were smooth going on, while  brown was tough to apply evenly.  I can't wait to try out some other techniques...just need to find the time!