It's All About the Hat

It's All About The Hat

 Inspired by Gloria Vanderbilt

Watercolors and watercolor crayons

I watched the wonderful documentary on CNN last night, " Nothing Left Unsaid" which was co-authored by Anderson Cooper and his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt.  It was so well done.  One of the things they featured in their story, was Gloria's art.  Well, I knew she was an artist and overall creative person, but I never really looked that closely at what she's done.  I just never paid that much attention...until now.  For someone who has had a very complicated (and interesting) life, her art is very light and whimsical.  I loved it.  So the picture I did above was done on a piece of scrap watercolor paper that I had been using to wipe my brush when I kept changing colors.  Today, I added more colors until I had filled the paper.  I kept turning it this way and that, trying to decide what to do with it...could I make it into something...and all of the colors made me think of a garden party a woman back in Gloria's mother's day might have gone to and worn a big, flowery hat with lots of spring colors.  

A closer look....

I pulled the face out of the background.  She was there.  She's not smiling...more pensive.  Life isn't a garden party after all....