Watercolor with 23K gold leaf detail.

My latest series involves my obsession with blue and white Chinoiserie porcelain. Studying the shapes and forms as I have been painting them has been a very peaceful and serene experience. I have blue and white ginger jars all around my house. I use them to hold brushes in my studio, flour and sugar in my kitchen…
October 2019 I was awarded a month-long artist residency at Chateau Orquevaux, in France. I printed out a selection of my blue and white porcelain photographs and brought them with me. I gave myself a month to explore painting outside of my comfort zone of the traditional Boston School training I received. During my time there, I painted large expressive paintings. In between the high energy and excitement of those broad brush-stroked pieces, I would paint a Chinese pot to give me a sense of order and peace… and to be honest, maybe a sense of control. I loved immersing myself into the painting and exploring the color variations and intricate detail of the different designs and subject matter. I decided to experiment with adding touches of gold leaf as a sign of respect to the original ceramicists. This blue and white watercolor series was created subconsciously, organically and accidentally out of something that gave me a sense of love, joy and peace.