O
utside the winter is blustery and
drab, but inside the home studio of
Carol Schmauder colors abound and
spiritual warmth keeps Jack Frost at
bay. In the corner of the room, artwork
Carol produced with her grandsons, sits
drying. Her face beams as she talks of her
family, both near and at a distance. “It is
a pleasure to see my family grown and
growing and be able to devote this time in
my life to art.”
Lately, Carol has been pouring acrylics
for abstract paintings, and not just
on the canvas. She has home décor,
with marbleized effects, in rich colors
accenting her living room. Carol combines
tube paints layered in a cup for a “dirty
pour” and a pouring medium (such as
GAC 800 or floetrol). Pouring mediums
come in thin or thick viscosities, each
with a unique property. Carol then tilts
the canvas to move the paint. “It sounds
like your painting is a matter of chance;
however, as I have done several of these
paintings I have found that you do have
some control by layering your colors in
certain amounts and positions.”
Another method of pouring is “primary
play,” when Carol keeps the colors
separate and pours them onto the canvas
individually, before moving the canvas,
and without allowing them to interact
too much. There is also a “coated pour”,
which resembles oil painting due to glossy
add-ons, which intensifies the colors.
Advice from experts in the field told
Carol to develop and stick to one style.
“I know several highly successful artists
that have done that very thing and I would
know their works without having to check
the signature on the painting.” Though
she understands why that would be
advantageous, she feels a need to “explore
different methods of creating paintings,”
and admits “I will probably continue to
explore different options until I pass from
this earth.”
On the surface, Carol seems to cast a wide net of artistic abilities, but she says they
are not all that separate. “Because my tastes in art are wide and varied, the art I
create is also wide and varied.” “Wash pours” create muted colors and use heavy
amounts of water, which are not unlike the watercolors she started out producing.
Carol first started tapping into her artistic ability as an adult. Inspired by Stan Miller,
Carol signed up for his and Mari Anne Figgin’s classes at the Spokane Art School
and began working in watercolors. “I have been painting and creating in my heart all
my life, but have been painting in watercolor since 1988.” A mother of nine children,
she chose watercolors because it offered a quick drying medium. She sped up her
drying time with a hairdryer. Space was limited and small hands would reach for wet
paintings. Watercolor presented an art she could tuck away.
May | June 2019
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