With Art at the Kent now in the rearview, I’ve just finished another broken vase and shadow piece and have a fresh sheet of paper stretched on my board, ready to begin a new one.  I still need to get these pieces out of my system before I can move on.

Broken Shadows ©2025 Elizabeth Fram, Watercolor, gold pigment, knotless netting & stitching on paper, 9″H x 7″W

Even so, I’ve spent the majority of my studio time pushing forward with gouache. It’s a dance of two steps forward, one step back, yet feels ever so liberating. With each sketch – and at this point they are definitely just sketches – I’m becoming more aware of what a deep and, at times, mysterious pond I’ve jumped into.

Maine Mug ©2025 Elizabeth Fram, Gouache on paper, 8″H x 11″W

Stlll, there are plenty of folks to lead the way. Aside from masters such as Paul Klee, Lois Dodd, and Fairfield Porter, contemporary painters like Lena Rivo, Maru Godas, and Mike Hernandez give me plenty to think about and to study.

Three Tubes ©2025 Elizabeth Fram, Gouache on paper, 9″H x 11.5″W

In a timely bit of kismet, I was listening to an “I Like Your Work” podcast by Erika b Hess in which she touched on the commonality, and even the bravery, of delving into the fresh territory of a new medium. Her characterization of such explorations as a period of “risk, discovery, and momentum” nails the feeling. What better time than now, after a couple of big exhibitions, to thwart complacency by breathing some fresh air into my practice?

Orange and Purple Bowl ©2025 Elizabeth Fram, Gouache on paper, 9″H x 11.5″W

Please note: I’ll be back in four weeks (Nov. 20th). We have a date to meet our first grandbaby!