The Art of Joy Alyssa Day

I really wish I had more time to myself to paint these little watercolors. I am quite enjoying them. I think it’s not only the learning a new process thing, but also that I don’t have to make them look like anything. Most of our art pieces have to end up looking like something (a rocket or portrait…)  or performing some function (like holding up a table). I have always wanted to be more loose in my paintings, to paint or create more abstract or impressionist pieces, but that so rarely happens.

I am trying new techniques in my watercolor paintings. The result I’m hoping for is to figure out which would be best for an upcoming childrens’ book that I’m writing. It has a lot of flowers and bunnies and such in it, but the simplistic, very muted colors that I see in most bunny childrens books just doesn’t do it for me. I want vivid, rich, beautiful, so I’m trying various things with these ACEOs to see what I like best for my new book.

I‘ve been having fun with both the small format of ACEOs (art cards), and also the watrcolor techniques. Since most of my paintings are usually done with acrylics on glass, having the white paper as a start and then having the paints absorb into it are new for me. It takes a lot of getting used to.  The biggest thing is getting used to working from back to front instead of details first like I have to do in my glass paintings. I find that I keep putting details down and then they get overrun or covered completely when I have to lay in a bigger wash of color. There are a lot of D’Oh! moments learning a new medium.  But it is fun too.

Well, I said I was going to do it… It just took me a bit longer to rev up the time to sit down and actually get started. In my defense, though, we had that huge conference that takes over the whole studio for a good month or two – getting ready, getting stuff shipped, going and then the two weeks of recovery because I always seem to catch some hideous disease there or on the way back.