the angels' share

1998
watercolor on strathmore cold press
10.5" x 9"

they say that real watercolorists don't need black paint; they know how to make grays and browns and even blacks by mixing reds, blues and yellows. (for the record, i can do this.) of course, in my art classes growing up, we were allowed to use black paint sparingly, though we were strongly encouraged to abstain. to defy this rule and to try something a little different, i decided to paint only using black. it was a time in my artistic career when i was experimenting with various styles and concepts, as i'd finally come into my own as a painter and wanted to explore new ideas. as you can see, there is also a great deal of negative space in this painting; i'd grown tired of painting backgrounds and decided not to (just like i chose not to with "japanese girl").

in high school, i liked the idea of angels as i was deeply religious and more than one person actually called me their guardian angel...not to be cheesy or egotistical or anything. but, as i'm no longer even mildly religious, i named the painting after a phenomenon that takes place in distilleries: the evaporation of wine or alcoholic spirits in aging barrels, the portion of which is called "the angels' share".