MN Children's Hospitals Commission
Monday, February 6, 2012 at 8:00AM Another project from last summer that I'm finally able to show! Here is a selection from a series of paintings commissioned by Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota.
This was my first attempt using Aquabord (being the only 20"x30" watercolor surface I could get my hands on quickly) and I learned a lot from the experience. If I were to work with it again, I'd layer gel medium or use an acrylic spray between the layers of color. Building layers of varying opacity with watercolor and gouache on these boards was tricky. If my brush was too wet, it would "reactivate" the dried paint beneath it and I'd lose ALL the underlying layers of color.
To further complicate things, my husband and I were still moving into our new house AND it was during that horrid heat wave on the East Coast. Our 1901 cottage has no central air, so much of the work in this series was painted while wearing a bikini and trying not to pass out. Finally, the finished paintings were much too big to scan so I had to take pictures of the finished work outside on my picnic table. I just barely met my deadline, it was such a stressful time.
Fortunately, I consider lessons learned as valuable as the commission itself. So, all troubles aside, it was totally worth it! I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. It was an honor to work with this client, as they are trying to make life a little brighter for their precious little patients. If you're in MN and want to see these paintings in person, they're on the fourth floor of the Children's Hospital in St. Paul.
