August Frenzy

7.5" x 10" original watercolour on 74# Yupo synthetic paper

This painting was my first experience with Yupo synthetic paper. It's done on a sample I received inside a magazine. (There's actually product advertising on its reverse side.) What a good marketing idea because I doubt I would have purchased this unusual paper without having used it first. Once I tried it, I had to buy some! I simply enjoy 'playing' paint over its surface.

The painting began just as a test of different colours to see how pigments and water flow interacted with the paper's surface. What I discovered was that, while all papers have a personality that affects the outcome of painting, this synthetic paper has a bigger personality! Where more traditional cotton rag paper has a subtle but just as important 'presence' in the creative process, synthetic paper demands a much larger participation; it simply will not allow me to take too much control of it! The results are often surprising, taking me on a journey of their own. Synthetic paper seems to force a more intuitive painting process. It can be a scary but exhilarating 'ride'!