shayna larsen has been doing realistic, soulful watercolor animal portraits for some time. the aspect of the medium shayna finds most compelling is that she doesn’t have full control… she can make a suggestion with her brush and then the paint goes where it will, generating a life of its own.

in the last year, shayna began painting with alcohol and ink, a medium that offers even less control. she composes brightly hued abstracts on japanese paper that emulate smoke or the movement of something undulating under water. she loves the looseness of working with alcohol and ink and the way the painting process feels like a dance. she creates her abstracts outdoors because of the strong smell of the ingredients. as such, the air, the breeze, the sun and the shade all effect how the ink dries and contribute to the composition of her paintings.

whispy, winding tendrils or layers reminiscent of a geode or watery pools or surprising undertones in hue may present when the painting is fully dry. shayna can suggest a design through her choice and placement of the ink drops, by further diluting the ink and increasing the fluidity of the liquid, by blowing through a straw to move the ink, by spritzing water on the paper to elicit a reaction or by showing restraint in her use of ink and allowing for white space, but each final work is spectacularly unique.