A Chance to Use Rich Color

I chose the carp design because it is an ancient symbol of good luck. I see it as a great chance to use color richly and wetly. I believe it is so because its hard to screw up a painting of these beautiful sensual creatures moving harmoniously together in water. The fish beckon to freely capture their color in loose wet colorful washes running together. This is the chance to discover the joy of watercolor! Here is the carp demo I did, but I believe some of the students actually succeeded at achieving the washes better than I in this circumstance. An example of the pupil exceeding the teacher!

Creating A Landscape Using Simple Values

I am presenting three approaches to the color value exercise while applying that simple lesson to a landscape. We covered this in the Reddi Arts class last week.

Now and Zen, and a watercolor to boat experience!

I was invited onto the Now and Zen, a local Jacksonville charter catamaran sailboat, that is a joy to cruise on. Naturally I jumped at the invitation. To make things even better, the cruise that day was initiated by the Arbus magazine, because they wanted to do an article on the boat, and use a watercolor by me in the article for next months edition. This is why I don't have a "real job"! I am including an "in process" view of the watercolor and a final as it was accepted.

Stressing the importance of "water" in watercolors

At my recent Reddi Arts class, I decided to do an exercise or two that would stress the importance of water and saturated color in watercolors. Too often beginning students "starve" their paintings of the water in a watercolor painting. Water is the carrier medium for the pure pigment, as oil is the carrier of pigment in an oil painting. But the properties are completely different and cannot be overlooked. Oil allows the smooth distribution of pigment by continually brushing the paint. Watercolor is a minimalist activity, "where you let the water do the heavy lifting" ! Thats why I am fond of saying "Doing a watercolor is a poetic or "zen" activity." In watercolor you allow for the unexpected. I have often said water is the closest thing to spirit you get on earth. Use that water to allow the flow of the unexpected to happen, don't over stroke or overwork to get your results to look fresh. Get the space wet drop in saturated color into that wet space and let it happen. Thats where the real fun is!