a vessel hanging from a thread - in watercolor

Little Vessel #1; watercolor on paper; 10" x 8"

Taking a subject that I painted in oils and re visioning it in watercolor has allowed me to explore some new ways of expressing the background.

The thread that holds the vessel is repeated in the fine white lines that separate the droplets/pebbles.  Above, the white line is taut while below, it becomes a tangle - losing its singularity within a mass of gently-hued colors.  There's more going on visually in an immediate sense with the visible brush strokes and the flowing dots of colors.

In the oil paintings, I took great care to blot out any hint of a brush stroke in the backgrounds.  I wanted all of the focus, attention and detail to reside in the object - creating a heightened sense of gravity and contemplation. 

I still want my stillifes to be contemplative - that's why the hanging object remains.  I'm ready to make more connections though.  Hopefully the two temperaments - one introverted and the other extroverted - can coexist in a single painting.