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| Respite Watercolor 8 x 17 |
Yes, fish. I have never liked fish, to be honest. I have tried introducing it into our menus several times over the years, but everyone always seemed so disappointed. But the givens are: we needed to drop a few holiday pounds; we needed to engage in a healthier diet; and I am currently trying to mix things up as far as experiencing the new and disengaging former prejudices. OK, then. Fish. Our watercolor assignment was a winter landscape. At that time, we had absolutely no snow, and none on the horizon. I selected an image from my files of a woodpecker that was back-lit...certainly a subject that I would usually shun. It became a bit of a challenge as the hard edges were overwhelming and I was quick to soften them. The bird itself was rendered a bit more brightly than in my soft grayed reference photo. Also, the notion of just "too much white" came into play as I softened and dropped in reflective snow colors....green and pink. It is quite the challenge to imply snow without so very much white. The resultant painting looks a bit like Asian silk, certainly not an effect that I sought, that resulted nonetheless. A new taste. A new experience. Back-lit. Palatable.
