Tag: watercolors

Along the River

This painting is based upon a pubic domain photo by Natividad Chavez of the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) taken at the Cronan Ranch Regional Trails Park in Pilot Hill, CA. Northern California has some absolutely beautiful landscapes. As well, the BLM showcases some truly magical parts of the country, areas both easy to get to and others quite remote, requiring hours to reach.

What I liked about the scene was the curve of the water and the people standing on the river’s shore beneath the trees. While my execution of the light was not what I wanted, I am rather pleased with other parts of it. And, it has people in it!

Millford paper, 140# CP, 16×20, watercolor.

Spring at the Settling Ponds

There are some days where chaos is the daily menu and you just have to flow with it. I had an appointment in the morning so I could go to my painting class in the afternoon. Well, that appointment turned into a hurry-up-and-wait-for-a-phone-call situation. Solution? Watercolor!

This painting is loosely based on a photograph I took while out at the settling ponds in Ventura. In California, “Spring” happens after any rainstorm. The brown grasses green, trees bud, flowers bloom. It’s the nature of the beast. We had rain yesterday and have another big storm coming in next week. In the days before my visit to the settling ponds, we had a lot of rain, and the result is this lovely little bit of trees and grass. Hard to believe this is within walking distance to the beach!

Gentle Spring

I did a bit of post in LR on the photo, but it does catch the sense of Spring, I think.

Watercolor, Millford paper, 9×12.

Capitol Reef #1 – Meeden / BaoHong Paper

I am always trying to find economical and superb 100% cotton watercolor paper. This one is really good! Fraggle said she likes Meeden paper, so off to Amazon I went and ordered this 100% cotton paper. Though advertised as 9×12 inches, it measures 12.2×8.3 inches per the cover of the block. I don’t really like blocks, but the I think the paper may be worth that irritation.

This is the paper I ordered (click to get to link). It is the weight and texture I prefer: CP, 140#. Painting on it was a pleasure. Color absorbed nicely and didn’t create any weird textures. Absorption rate was reasonable. It held up to washes and glazes on multiple levels. Working wet-in-wet was easy to do.

Capitol Reef National Park is located in central Utah and is characterized by red rock and sandstone. Canyons and arches are some of its characteristics. As it is desert, the vegetation is sparse and dots the landscape. It is a stunning bit of country – Utah has some of the most beautiful parks! – as well as a place with a fascinating history, from prehistoric times to modern day settlers. Definitely worth a trip!

Watercolor, about 8×12 inches, Meeden / BaoHong 100% cotton paper, CP, 140#.

North Coast

Once more – should I put something in or take it out!?!? The original of this painting, along the northern coast of California, is originally painted with a small island offshore. Looking at it I didn’t like it – perhaps too close to the tree on the left overhanging the beach. Thanks to Photoshop, I removed it.

The above painting is the one that exists in the real world. The one below is the one edited with Photoshop’s “generative fill” – poof! No island.

Because I am feeling kind of spartan these days, sometimes I think I have too much in a painting. Maybe it goes along with limiting my palette of colors?

And my palette? A bit more expansive than the previous, but the subject matter seemed to need a bit. I used umbers, sienna, ochre, Indian yellow, phthalo blue, a touch of ultramarine, a bit of dioxazine purple, and Hooker’s green.

My technique was to use oodles of water as I wanted to see how well the Bockingford non-cotton paper would hold up. It did quite well! Every large area – sky, ocean, land above the cliff – was wet with clean water, and then painted with the colors. The sky had one wash, but the ocean had multiple wet washes. The land in foreground and distance had a big wash later accented with dry on wet.

I am also pleased with this painting, even with my thoughts about the island.

St. Cuthberts Mill, Bockingford 140# CP, 12×16.

And what are your thoughts – island or no island?