works on wood
a couple years ago, my dad found some pieces of birch bark in the woods behind his house. he is an artist himself and saw the potential for these scraps to be something more.
he offered them to me as a canvas to paint on and I’m so glad he did, because I had the best time testing out watercolor on them - something I’d never seen done before.
on the left is the unfinished work that is shown again below. on the right is the first work on wood I painted, and is my most favorite. somewhat serendipitous, the image painted here (in 2020) matches part of a tattoo my boyfriend (who I met in 2021) has on his arm.
untitled | 5.5” x 2.5” | watercolor on birch
“and this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.”
untitled | 4.5” x 2.5” | watercolor on birch
as these pieces age, they patina and become richer in color. the wood has gone from a light blonde to a rich golden hue.
a little dusty - this piece has the most curvature to the bark, so it is difficult to show all the imagery and color, but the sky fades into a deep blue.
untitled | 7” x 3” | watercolor on birch
untitled | watercolor on wood
the wood for the painting above was a gift from a friend. he had seen my paintings on birch bark and thought this may be a fun canvas to work on as well! this wood (I’m not sure what type it is) absorbed the paint much quicker, so multiple layers had to be painted for more vibrant colors to appear.
see details of this work below:
