The Big Picture Painting

"Consistency in my art is following my vision at that moment." Abstract, bold, joy-filled, spontaneous, powerful and gestural. Words to describe this contemporary abstract artist’s paintings. They are one of a kind and pulled from her creative imagination. ARTIST STATEMENT “Abstraction in a painting is the emotional creative thoughts, ideas and hues positioned to initiate conversation and invite you to the artist’s heart” Not all stories are written with words... Sometimes it is with shape, colours and lines. HER INSPIRATION Of course living so close to a body of water the turquoise and deep blues, greens and neutrals of the sand, beach and trails are part of the inspiration for the artist’s paintings. Darlene’s paintings are also pulled from her gardens and love of soft pinks in Peonies and the boldness of Clematis. Autumn crinkled leaf hues noticed on her walks are also part of a painting at some point. She gathers all of these ideas shapes of stones, ripples of the lake, cloud hues with violets and purples and of course the sunsets in her area. The gold and orange from the sun saying good night and the deep forest leaf greens, and crimson are all part of her repertoire. Colours, shapes and lines are often gathered from fashion to integrate later. HER TECHNIQUE There can be many layers of acrylics with ink, pen, pencil, charcoal and tea or coffee-stained print added to the mixed media creations of this artist. The majority of her paintings are acrylic with layers of swirls or brush strokes with various brush sizes and sometimes the artist’s hands or palms. Each of these movements adds to the growing depth of the work. With her mixed media, the hidden illegible script or notes sometimes are in the graffiti style that she often uses. In each of her paintings, the titles and the layers, welcome you into her world as she tells her story. Many of her originals are large-scale and vibrant. Bold thick acrylic in some areas with layers of complementary hues or hues that surprise you when they are side by side. "Darlene Watson is a painter who communicates her stories through colour, shape, and line, evoking bold and powerful emotions in her viewers. With a fearless colour palette and expressive style, she invites viewers into her world through her titles and layered compositions. Her large-scale, vibrant originals feature bold acrylic strokes alongside complementary hues or unexpected colour combinations, drawing viewers in and leaving them in awe.