gouache – Page 19 – Ink, Yarn & Beer

The Palo Verde Tree

The local botanical garden is open at last! It has been closed since Ventura County closed trails, stores, and such, as well as issued a shelter-in-place order to keep the spread of the coronavirus at a minimum. Some places are beginning to open up, though the shelter-in-place order is on until the end of May.

It was such a treat – a real slice of heaven – to be able to walk around the garden again. Many of the spring flowers have gone, like the poppies, but many of the flowering trees are in bloom. The palo verde tree at the top of the hill has leafed out in all its delicate bright yellow-green glory. It is so graceful and lovely in spring that it could not be overlooked – here it is for today’s painting.

You would think that a pair of cherries would be easy . . . uncomplicated . . . a breeze!

Not!

But now that I have begun to focus on simplifying everything, and moving into detail, it actually got easier. So, rather pleased with the final result. I took my time and find the results worthwhile.

Estuary

This is a pretty small painting – but most gouache paintings are as the medium almost seems to demand it. After the disastrous flowers of the other day, the feeling of overworking my paints, I decided to simplify. Yesterday’s beach scene is a good example of simplification. And today is a bit more complex of a painting, but it is still simplified.

To simplify things, I looked at the big areas. This meant the sand in the foreground, the sky, and the masses which make up the middle ground, both light and dark. Those were laid in first. From there, more details in a middle stage, and final details – the small stuff – were done. This also matched the brushes I used – big to medium to small. “The Three Bears” and the Goldilocks effect.

I also was a lot calmer when I did this painting, and I was in the studio, not in 85F weather with a steady breeze to dry out my paints and raise my temper! Lesson learned there.

Beach Time

Spring is moving toward summer, and the beaches are heaven in 90F plus weather. Of course, social distancing is necessary. The seagulls may behaving, but I can’t tell about the people.

Icky and Not Too Icky

Let’s start with the flowers I did that I like. Spontaneous background, flat brush, working on edge of brush for dots and lines of stems and flowers. No pencil drawing. I liked painting this one a lot. Not so icky.

This one absolutely sucks. Pencil drawing. Overworked. I was ready to snap the brushes and burn down the house. I really hated doing this painting as it so uptight. Icky. Icky. Icky.