Signature Techniques

Chaos to Order

 

The transformation from visual Chaos to Order is the best way to explain my most used approach to painting.  Working spontaneously and intuitively, I combine color, texture and gestural mark-making to begin the layering process of my paintings.

 

This beginning Chaos is where I let the spirit of the fluid watercolor have its say.  The paint flows, the colors mix and the sedimentary and staining pigments interact in magical ways that I could never plan.  Order is brought to the lively, colorful chaotic first layer by developing the painting in subsequent layers.  Interlacing a planned compositional understructure,  I build visual depth with each layer and gradually introduce my imagery until the painting is complete.

Kathleen Conover uses water colors in the freezing temperatures to create mother natures beauty.

Ice Crystal Paintings

 

Freezing my watercolors in winter to see what I can “catch” is a wonderful mix of natural forces and human intervention.  Besides lacy ice crystal patterns caught on watercolor paper, this technique has caught the imagination of publishers, patrons and jurors alike.  Some refer to me as the “Ice Crystal Lady”, which seems fair since I’ve been painting using this technique for decades.

 

Once the pigments are mixed in my gallery, I take them outside in subfreezing winter air where I pour  water on the watercolor paper. Then it is time to pour the paint into the flowing water.  Mother Nature freezes the water and pigments which form intricate crystallized patterns on the paper.  Inspired by the unique textures, the vibrant colors and motion that come with each new painting, I develop the detail and composition into the final painting.

 

I enjoy showing the viewer my mythical winter pond, looking straight down through layers of leaves, air bubbles and an occasional dragonfly trapped between the layers.  Nature is not just my  inspiration – it’s my partner in creativity.

Kathleen Conover uses water colors in the freezing temperatures to create mother natures beauty.

Symbolism

 

The most meaningful “signature” element in my work is deep symbolism.   A flower is not just a bloom of color in nature but a representation of one stage of life in our own, human, life-death-life cycle.  Looking through  layers of ice is like looking into ourselves.  The surface layer is easily recognized, but deeper exploration reveals the complexities within.

 

Especially prominent in the “Industrial Evolution” series is the image of the Raven which represents us as creatures of great adaptability, creativity and survival intelligence.  The Raven is calculating it’s next move in the evolution of survival, as are we.

Kathleen Conover uses watercolors to paint this symbolic scene of our industrial evolution depicting the melding of east and west cultures symbolized by origami peace crane and the raven.