Traveling Light with Watercolors: "Lighthearted" - how whimsy and play can improve our habits

“Whimsy” is a topic that I have struggled with for a very. long. time. I have been “so dang serious” for most of my life. But I remember the moment when I knew I wanted to bring some whimsy into my life. But even when I knew that….I really struggled with ‘having permission’ to do such a thing in my own work. Here’s how that moment played out….and where it has finally led.

Plein air in Chincoteague, VA….2007.

Fifteen or so years ago, when I was still painting in oils, and traveling to Plein Air competitions, and shows, I was in Chincoteague, Virginia for the annual plein air paintout and show the first weekend in September of that year. I had been going to that show for several years and enjoying it so much! It’s so well organized, there’s lots to see and paint, and there’s quite a receptive crowd waiting to buy paintings at the Saturday evening show after several intensive days of painting around the islands of Chincoteague and Assateague. On the Sunday morning following the show, my two best painting buddies and I were having breakfast together before we all headed home. We had found a cute little “coffee-shop/bakery/boutique/gallery” to have our last get-together before we all headed home to three different states far from each other. We were enjoying talking about the experience of the week, and all the ups and downs of painting outdoors and basking in that post-show-glow. I looked up, and above our table was a painting of a woman who was combing her hair….with a fish-bone-skeleton….and sea-horses and sea-stars were coming out of her hair. I was so taken by this…it had such a dreamy surrealistic look to it. I just couldn’t look away, or stop thinking about it. I told my friends, “Look at this!!! I love this sense of whimsy….I want to paint whimsy!!”

“Well, then you should” answered one of my friends. (I do wish I had taken a photo of the three of us under that painting!).

But I just didn’t know where to begin. I had always seen myself as a ‘serious’ painter. A serious landscape painter (however one defines that). Even though I had had plenty of figure drawing & painting classes, I usually steered clear of painting figures at that time. Over the years I’d venture into it, usually to embellish a landscape. Rarely would I paint portraits - and most of them were family members who had the patience to sit for me. But “whimsy”?? What would my peers think? I didn’t know anyone personally that painted that sort of thing

Irish landscapes in luscious oils applied with a palette knife were my favorites for many years.

Some of my favorite figure oil sketches from life are of my daughters.

So, all these years have gone by and I had never scratched that ‘whimsy’ itch. Until this past winter when I was dreaming of ideas for my Spring class series. I had started experimenting with little figure drawings that I called ‘beach babes’….and coming up with a ‘template’ that one could make and use over and over to make the repetitive drawing of figures quick and easy. That way, you could dress them up and get to those fun details quickly. After playing with a series of these I knew that I could easily tweak the drawing just a bit here and there to go from whimsy to a bit less exaggerated. Perhaps I’ve just finally allowed myself to ‘go for the whimsy’, take myself a bit less seriously -even to the point of ridiculousness, put more focus on fun (which I thought I was already having), and just spend some time exploring new ideas and new mediums.

Sketchbook doodles with exaggerated figures became the ‘beach babe’ series. This was the first one. I was initially going for big exaggerations, long necks, short legs, etc.

More sketchbook explorations, in the ‘beach babe’ series. Still exaggerating the features and keeping it ‘cartoon-like’.

After the ‘beach babe’ series, I’ve made a quick jump over to explore a bit of fashion illustration using Copic Markers. They are alcohol markers best used on a very smooth surface such as smooth surface Bristol paper. Through a bit of exploring, I’ve found those markers incredibly fun to use, but not so much within sketchbooks…they bleed through the paper and can ruin a painting on the backside of the paper. Lessons learned, brush mileage. It’s the cost of playing/painting. Not every painting will be something you love. And sometimes things you do like can be ruined through uninformed explorations. But - it’s NOT the last painting you’ll do, now that you know better.

Here’s an example of my Copic marker illustrations that I then photocopied onto card-stock, cut out with an exacto-knife and photographed in my garden. Just for fun!

I did have fun with the markers on the Bristol paper, then photocopying that onto card-stock, cutting it out with an exacto-knife and photographing my little person in my garden. I’ve been wanting to do a series of dog-walkers. I’m starting with as many neighbors as I can!

A Sunday afternoon hike among towering mountain laurel has given me more ideas for some coming compositions.

A Sunday afternoon walk in the woods with the mountain laurel all in bloom made me want to add a figure to a woodland scene with mountain laurel all around. I took photos during my hike, to jog my memory of possible ideas for new compositions.

Thinking of pros and cons of markers vs watercolors; the markers are smooth and layer nicely. They’re fun to work with, but you have to buy an individual marker for every subtle color change…this looks like it could be a pricey endeavor. The watercolors I have a greater familiarity with, and you can mix tons of colors from a basic palette that has a warm and cool version of blue, red, and yellow.

Am I enjoying my explorations? You bet I am! Will I ever go back to oils? I would never say never. I still have them. They are just packed away for now, out of the way, while I explore other things.

Some explorations of the figure in the landscape that I did during an art residency in France really resonated with me. All of these ideas have been percolating in my head - and I know they will all get combined into yet something new and fascinating. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes of it all.

After my Spring class, “Birds, Blooms and Beaches”, I realized that whimsy was needed in my life right now. Bringing that bit of light-heartedness into my daily work has been a great antidote for the seriousness we currently continuously encounter. Perhaps it was needed in every class member, too. I was tickled pink at how much fun everyone had with that assignment - and all the variations everyone created. Taking time for some ‘silly sketches’ where you can drop perfectionism at the door may be the best medicine. Give yourself permission to play, find some of that light-heartedness. Drop the fear, show up and explore!

Combining figures in the landscape - one of my paintings completed during my Art Residency at Chateau Orchevaux, July, 2022.