First thoughts on patterns were patterns in nature, such as snowflakes, basalt rocks, fields as seen from the air, kaleidoscopes. Nope . . . didn’t feel right.
And then it hit me – sewing patterns. My studio is used for painting, photography, and sewing for the most part. All my sewing stuff is in another room or scattered into another dimension as we finish the repairs from a water leak.
Thus, for #WorldWatercolorMonth2019, patterns of a different sort.
During Days 13 – 19 of #WorldWatercolorMonth2019, I got really busy! So with no further ado, paintings.
13. Glassy
I wanted to catch the reflections of the clouds in the smooth water of the lake. Not sure if it worked – the photo showed perfect sky-clouds in the foreground.
14. Furry Things
When I was a kid, furry caterpillars were our friends. Cats, too. Furry enough for all.
This kitten is from a YouTube study / practice by Maria Raczynska that I followed. It was a lot of fun!
15. Monochromatic
In the heat of summer, it seemed a monochromatic scene had to be a cold winter’s day in the mountains.
16. Relaxing
I thought a lot about this prompt. Many things came to mind that I enjoy, but I realized that the beach, in all forms of weather, is one of my favorite places to relax. Not being especially good at blending sand colors, I referred to a book by Geoff Kersey called Watercolour Seascapes. His book is a series of studies that demonstrate specific watercolor techniques and employ a limited palette. The first painting is from the study I did from his book and the rest are varied places. The last painting is one I did from a photo I took several years ago of a beach here on the Central Coast of California, either Refugio or El Capitan beach. Smooth sand and sunny days or a rocky shore and a cold, rainy day – both great ways to relax along the seaside.
17. Music
Balalaika and Blue Tit.
18. Clouds
California is an endless blue sky at times. Other times, the high clouds of the rainy season and the sun are blocked by low-lying coastal fog. When the two compete, the sky is endlessly changing and fascinating.
19. Splashes of Color
As we move through #WorldWatercolorMonth2019, I am alternating watercolor with gouache. Both need different techniques. Gouache, being opaque, opens a new world as layers of paint can be built up and one color can be covered by another whether it is light or dark. Mistakes can be hidden! Watercolor requires more forethought and has more happy – and unhappy! – accidents. Here, the opacity of gouache allows for splashes of color and a more impasto and impressionistic use of paint.
World Watercolor Month 2019 is proving to be very rewarding. I am focused on painting, which is one of my retirement goals. Learning and developing my skills and knowledge of water media is expanding, and though I produce a lot of dreck, I see improvement in many ways. To me, the biggest one is that I am beginning to anticipate my approaches to varied areas of a painting, thinking ahead as to how I can accomplish what I want to see. That’s good news. I know what I want to produce – that is, the kind of paintings I like, and which I think are expressive of my thoughts – and while I am a long way from it, I can also see myself moving forward to accomplishing my “artistic vision” as it were.
I’ve been thinking about how I am developing a sort of painting style in gouache, as well as giving thought to the painters whose work I admire. It definitely falls in the impressionistic and expressionistic varieties. Gouache just seems to be made for exuberant color and enthusiastic brushwork.
My colors are more subdued that I wanted – I wanted turquoise skies and pink flowers and a brilliant sunset. Instead, I have a rather northern European type of town scene, with a garden or flowering park in the middle. Summer’s abundance flourishes under the trees, but in the shade it seems. 
In doing this painting, I didn’t do much planning. I stuck to the prompt of “splashes of color” – and splash I did. The result was a serious loosening up of my style, and a letting go of “this is what I want it to be.” That is significant – I can be a real tight ass about painting, and in the end dislike the results. When I let go – let things splash – I am usually much, much happier with the results.
Regardless, both paintings appear muddy to me. I wonder if working with pure color – straight from the tube – would help. Practice certainly will. The flowers in the vase seem a bit overworked, too. Again, practice and experience.
So, lots of splashes of color for #WorldWatercolorMonth 2019 is producing some rather pleasing results and, more than anything, a daily involvement with painting.
I am the least musical person in the world. I cannot carry a tune. Singing voice – well, let’s just say a bit – lots of bits – better is to be desired.
I can read music. I took piano lessons. When I practiced the piano, the dog would sit at the back door and whine to be let out. When my sister practiced, he would curl up in a ball under the piano bench – if he had been a cat, doubtless he would purr along.
However, despite my own inadequacies in the music department, I really like music. When I was a child, a family friend, Boris – who fled Tsarist Russia after the October Revolution (being a prince) – was a wonderful musician. He played the balalaika and sang melancholy Russian songs. A balalaika, a song bird. Here is to music in all its forms!
Monochromatic – value studies – black, grey, white – something I never do. I promised myself I would weeks ago, before beginning any painting. As with most resolutions, it fell by the wayside. However, I think monochrome value studies in gouache could be really rewarding and worth doing – you can make corrections as you go along, put white on black if need be. Not so easy in watercolor, and pencil studies can get all fuzzy and blurred.
#WorldWatercolorMonth2019 is at its halfway point already! Summer is fleeing . . .
See you tomorrow!
Ink, Yarn & Beer 