Alix Travis
Artist Statement
The choice of medium influences the size and type of the surface. Oils, for me, are large. The tools required fill my hand. I can be more deliberate because it is possible to remove and reapply paint, to reconsider decisions. The subject of these works are often drawn from my sketchbooks and watercolor paintings—never photographs. Pastel is delicate, too much movement and it will leave the surface of the paper like snow drifting down. I apply it to full sheets of paper, sometimes pieced together if my vision outgrows the first sheet. Watercolor is light, easily transported and best of all, lends itself to rapid application. I never aim for a faithful representation of what is before me. I don’t draw. I paint where the water, pigment and weather lead me. I use watercolor outside in the warmer weather, and to teach.In making art, I enjoy moving from one medium to another according to the season and its temperature. Whatever the weather the colors on my palate are the same: saturated, bold; it is the medium that requires a different approach.Recently I have been moved to combine mediums. “Painting” with collage of torn watercolor fragments, block prints, foil, beads and thread fill that time period when winter is over but warm spring has not arrived.
