Another week of watercolor classes.

Waiting for Spring

This week for class we were to choose our own subjects from a scene or otherwise. Certainly, most everyone on the East Coast would say that this has been a snowy week - hence the subject matter.
I tried my hand at a very complex piece prior to starting this one. I so wanted to paint my old sled from when I was younger (much much younger) and our garden shed here at home. It has been said that if one identifies with their subject matter the painting will flow more naturally.

For this attempt, I fell sadly short of expectation.

After searching through current photos of the snow, I decided that my skills were not ready yet for such work so I decided to go back to what is most important the basics. I chose this exercise of winter with some summer beach chairs. It included basic wash skills, a horizon line with trees, an attempt at ice and a detailed interesting image in the foreground.

All in all, I was pleased with the painting, however; there were lessons learned.

The ice should reflect the color of the sky - it would have created a more harmonious painting had the ice been darker. The horizon line has weaknesses, but the reflection was there. The chairs were fun and even though the images were copied from a photo, I was pleased that they had those good composition qualities of overlapping and interlocking. I am pleasantly pleased with this youthful work, but most pleased as it feel neatly into place as if I knew were I was going.

Painting is fun! Painting is hard! Painting is good!
It is good! It is all good!

See you around town.
Janet