Little did Carole Overall know the road she was about to walk down when she read a ‘how to paint? watercolor book and picked up a brush for the first time in 1978. Overall, Davisburg resident, has been a watercolor artist for more than three decades.
From 1986-1993, she has completed 25 watercolor courses at Oakland Community College, Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center and Cranbrook Educational Community. Along her schooling, she met teacher and mentor Lula Nester.
‘I was so impressed by her that I took every class she offered,? said Overall. ‘I followed her around like a little puppy.?
When Overall found out Lula was no longer teaching due to being sick with cancer, Overall called her, offering to clean her house or help her anyway she could.
‘Lula told me that I could bring my art to her and she would continue to critique my work,? she said. ‘She was a genius.?
Overall considers herself to be an experimental watercolor artist, not afraid to attempt new things. She said she got that from Lula.
Among Overall’s experiments she created at a three-dimensional watercolor technique earning her awards in fine art competitions.
The technique consist of painting an original watercolor using three pieces of watercolor paper, each spaced and suspended two inches apart. The bottom layer is a complete painting on its own. The middle layer is an extension of the subject with areas cut out to allow the viewer to gaze upon the painting below. The top layer is correlated cutout painted images suspended above the middle painting.
One of the best parts of watercolor is feeling the flow of creativity and seeing it on paper, said Overall.
‘The excitement of seeing the results and being lost in time with no other worries or concerns on my mind,? she said.
Many of her themes include flowers, gardens, and jungles. She said she also paints images from ‘lucid dreams? she has had. She said lucid dreams can be induced by ‘lucid dreaming induction exercises.? She also wrote a poem from one of her lucid dreams entitled ‘The Sculptor.?
‘I heard an audible voice say, ‘apprentices create the statue, only the master can create the stone.? I awoke and immediately began writing ‘The Sculptor,?? said Overall.
The poem was chosen to be published and featured in the collection ‘Immortal Verses? put out by Poetry.com
Overall took 3rd place in her first art competition in 1991. Since then she has gone on to win many awards at several competitions, two of which has been at the ‘Our Town? community house in Birmingham.
‘I really respect that art competition,? said Overall, as she prepares for another ‘Our Town? competition Oct. 18-20.
However, this time Overall won’t be showing off her watercolor painting, but a new kind of art that she calls ‘DecCoulage.?
It’s a new ‘fine art medium? using a lampshade wire frame to support her three dimensional artwork. The pallet consists of colorful sheer fabrics and dramatic appliqu’d fabric images, some accessorized with jewelry, tiny silk flowers, glass beaded fringe, spangles and beads.
The lamp’s light bulb becomes a projector beam illuminating colors and images upon and through the gossamer layers of sheer fabrics.
Overall said the best thing about doing the DecCoulage was creating a canvas using the fabrics with images.
She has also been teaching watercolor art on and off since 1994, currently she teaches at Hartland Community Education, Brighton Area Schools, Walled Lake Community Education, and Macomb Community College. When not painting or doing DecCoulage, Overall said she enjoys gardening.
For more information on Overall’s watercolor or DecCoulage technique and samples of her work, visit www.fineartlampscapes.com.