La Costanera - Buenos Aires
(Site Gallery: Around The World)
Always fascinated by the fluidity of India ink, I decided to explore its effects applying it on wet watercolor paper. The first attempts were done in black and white which were random bursts of ink exploding on the white surface resembling fireworks. Later, I began manipulating the ink by rotating the paper letting the medium spread on its own over the moist areas. Abstract shapes began to appear as the various values combined and the technique I call "ink bleeds" was born.
Eventually, I started to experiment with color bringing about exquisite effects that directed my creative energy. In the developing stages, works did not include any other elements. As other subject matter was interpreted, rough lines in black that also bled into the surface were added to create more definite shapes. It took an emotional a trip back home to Buenos Aires, Argentina and a landscape en plein air for the technique to fully emerge.
Since then, "ink bleeds" have evolved into larger abstractions which are produced using a palette that includes yellow, magenta and blue. The colors blend as the paper is manipulated, creating a variety of contrasting hues which are then defined with broken black outlines.
In some instances, the bleeding effect of the shapes and lines is overlapped on solid backgrounds. The use of black outlines is minimized, and diluted yellow ink and white watercolor is incorporated adding a translucent quality. Guiding the medium with a brush allows for the work to become more representational.