Saint Helices 54, 24" x 18", watercolor, 1993. Artist's collection.

The events involved in creating version 53 sent me harking back for simpler creative times and techniques. I had not made a Saint Helices watercolor in more than a year, and never on a larger (24 " x 18") scale, so I thought it would be a good idea to return to that medium.

I painted the entire work and found it to be unsatisfactory. Then I laid the paper on a flat-level surface and commenced spraying it with water. The paper buckled severely and the water pooled in some areas 1/4" deep. I left the paper to dry and thought the raw mutations of pigment to be more effective than in the previous state. Then I reglazed the standard colors with washes of watercolor.