MEGAN AUMAN

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working back and forth (between tiny oil paintings and watercolor marker sketches)

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tiny oil paintings - small wall art grouping

When I started working on my tiny oil paintings, the first place I looked for inspiration (and subject matter ideas) was the sketchbooks where I keep all my watercolor marker sketches. It turns out, there’s lots of ideas to work with there!

But then the other night, it occurred to me that I didn’t have to be limited to just the watercolor sketches I’ve already done. So I pulled out my watercolor markers and started playing with new ideas. Then the next day, I went into the studio and turned a few of those into more tiny oil paintings.

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tiny painting and big plants

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tiny painting with succulents and handmade ceramic planters

It’s been a while since I’ve done any plant shopping, so on Saturday, I decided it was time to remedy that.

It turns out that my local garden center cuts way back on their selection of indoor plants over the summer in favor of lots more outdoor plants. Which was a bit of a bummer, because I don’t do outdoor plants. (I’m highly sensitive to poison ivy, so outdoor gardening is seriously stressful for me!)

Fortunately, they did have some succulents that were calling my name. I’ve been mostly resisting succulents to this point because I’m worried my current studio situation doesn’t have enough light for them. But I decided to give these guys a go.

And while they aren’t that big compared to some of the plants in my studio, they are pretty big as far as succulents go. And even though I wasn’t trying at all, these two plants ended up being the perfect fit for these two Elizabeth Benotti planters (ok, I think one is technically a vase) that I picked up over the last couple of months.

Of course, I couldn’t resist tossing in one of my new tiny paintings just to complete the scene!

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what I’m looking at: Matisse/Diebenkorn (and a few new watercolor sketches of my own)

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watercolor painting inspiration: Diebenkorn

Since I pulled out my watercolor markers again a few weeks ago, I’ve also found myself revisiting some of my favorite art books. (From some of my favorite art exhibitions.) And my current go-to for inspiration has been the exhibition catalog from the Matisse/Diebenkorn show that I saw two years ago.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find out about it in time to see it at the Baltimore Museum of Art (which is much closer to me) but I was going to be in San Francisco while it was up at SFMOMA, so I made it a point to clear out time in my travel schedule to see the show.

It definitely didn’t disappoint. I’ve seen a number of Matisse shows in the last handful of years, but this was the first time I really looked at Diebenkorn’s work. The show explored the ways that Diebenkorn was inspired by Matisse, but yet at the same time, Diebenkorn’s paintings have their own identity.

My favorite work of the entire show was the one above, called Coffee. I’m not exaggerating when I say it literally brought tears to my eyes.

Sadly, no photograph or reproduction does justice to the depth and soul this painting has in person. But still, I’m using it as a beacon as I think about the kinds of paintings I want to create. I know I have a long way to go, but I like that the idea of this painting gives me some kind of direction for my own.

Speaking of my own paintings, I’m still just doing some small works with watercolor markers. (Though I’m hoping to move into some bigger paintings on canvas this summer when I’m not so bogged down with jewelry orders.) I’ve been inspired by the silos I’ve seen doing lots of driving in the countryside where I live, but I’ve also been thinking about how those relate to some of the shapes I was drawn to last summer.

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