We had hardly hung the show in the Arlington Offices of SAIC when I got a nice email from the Venue Coordinator to say my painting, Gingko III had been sold. That's always a nice email to get. This is one of my "Leaf Impression" paintings. I start the process with a very wet sheet of watercolor paper, then apply paint to the leaves I have gathered. As I paint each one, I press it down into the wet paper. Once many leaves are on the paper, I paint over the whole sheet in a different "background" color. Then comes the hard part.... I have to let the whole thing dry overnight, without lifting the leaves to see what is happening on the paper. Once dry, I remove all the leaves and look at my image, some beautiful patterns have taken shape. Sometimes I will go back in and add more color, darken some leaves, put details on others. I apply more paint to the actual leaves and use them as stamps, pressing them into the paper and leaving behind vein lines and impressions. I have printed up sets of notecards from these paintings. They are available at Stifel & Capra, and at the gift shop at the American Horticultural Society at River Farm in Alexandria. Or you may order some here, just send me an email....A set of 8 is $14.00 plus postage.
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