Mat scrap inspirations...

My husband is a writer/photographer - we have a darkroom in our house where he develops, prints, mats and frames his photographs. A couple weeks ago he was having problems with the mat cutter (which, since I began to paint, we are now sharing).

I joined him at the mat cutting table and we began to practice cutting mats with some odd shaped scraps that were left over from another project. We solved the trouble issue and ended up with some long, skinny mats that were really interesting.

Now, normally I paint something and then cut a mat to fit what I have painted. Hmmm, what about doing it the other way around? Paint something to go in the mats we just cut! Here were some challenging shapes - yes, that would be inspiring...and fun.

I was looking for something light and whimsical - some watercolor and ink sketches would be perfect! It's a hot summer day...the ideal thing for the vertical shape would be... 

and then I tried a horizontal - 

That started me on a whole lot of other sketches - for another blog. I think they may end up being for sale at the annual art league Labor Day Show and Sale in St Michaels on September 3 & 4. Mark your calendars and come see them in person!