I gather ideas and stories and develop a series of sketches, which will eventually be put together in a full-sized drawing. This drawing will then be transferred to watercolor paper. I lay the initial pigment in on dry paper, wetting the area near the line and following behind with a second brush to take the color where I want it to go. When the area is completely dry I may go back and lay in more pigment on the other side of the initial line and, using the same technique, create a line, which diffuses into the paper behind it. This creates a dimensional appearance.In some pieces I have taken that effect to another level by actually creating a sculptural (layered) painting. These sculptural paintings include cutout pieces that are successively layered on top of the original watercolor painting. The layering is put together in such a way as to create a “three-dimensional” painting. I may also add other elements such as beadwork or wampum beads into the piece.
