Shown above: Little Spring Thing (Wild Sarsaparilla)
I imagine a mundane but curious question: “Most artists work in a rectangular orientation, whether that be on paper or canvas. But you tend to work in a square format. Curious as to why that is?” The answer is not what you would expect.
ANSWER: Did Instagram influence me when image posts were square in a feed? The real story is that I have always loved the square for aesthetic reasons.
As a graphic designer, I would design print pieces in a square format because it’s different from the norm and would stand out. Unfortunately, designing to the square could be expensive, especially for mailing square invitations.
There is a deeper reason for painting in a square format.
There is a deeper reason for painting square watercolors, beyond the fact that it looks good in a social media post. It stems from how Frank Lloyd Wright designed his homes with the intention that each window should be a frame to the natural world, thereby bringing the natural world into one’s home.
That’s exactly the intention of my work: to bring the natural world into a home and, at the same time, create curiosity about the natural world and the desire to venture out into it daily. Square windows appeal to me, the ones you often see in old barns or traditional Scandinavian-style homes.
A side note on aesthetics:
I read in The Gardens of Frank Lloyd Wright by Derek Fell, pages 46-47: Out of conversation with Wright’s dairyman, Jack Sangster, Wright complained that his Guernsey cows were not producing enough cream.
Sangster proposed switching to Holsteins. To that suggestion, Wright ranted, “Jack, Holsteins are black and white. Black and white on green?…coffee and cream, which are the colors of my Guernseys, on green, are the three most restful colors you can find.” Only Guernseys grazing on green pastures for Frank.
P.S. The title of this post is a wink and a nod to one of many favorite rock groups in my early 20s, Yes, and their song Your Move. There, I’ve just dated myself.
Watercolors in Squares
Shown from top, left to right:
Forest Custodian (Jack O’ Lantern Mushroom) (15 x 15; 28 x 28 framed)
The Garden Nature Grows (8 x 8; 21 x 21 framed)
Orange Fairy Cup (8 x 8) Original Sold; available as a fine art print
Under the Forest Canopy (8 x 8; 12 x 12 framed)
Marshland: Casting Spells (21 x 21; 32 x 32 framed)
We Will Know When We Get There (15 x 15; 28 x 28 framed)
Passing Through (15 x 15; 28 x 28 framed)
Devotion (12 x 12) Original Sold; available as a fine art print
Tiny Universes (8 x 8) Original Sold; available as a fine art print
Cradling (In Praise of Leaf Litter) (20 x 20; 33 x 33 framed)
This is Not a Weed No. 1 (15 x 15; 28 x 28 framed)
This is Not a Weed No. 2 (15 x 15; 28 x 28 framed)
Sizes are in inches. Original artworks are framed in a simple pine frame with double-thick white matting and plexiglass.
Many of these are available as limited edition prints in my shop and/or as framed original watercolors.
