Simply Watercolour

 Seperating Clusters of Orange Blossom

 Building up a Watercolour in Stages 

When I work on a watercolour of any subject the colour selection has to be really exciting. Each choice has to be one that enthralls me so that every addition is one that I have enjoyed. Down to the finest of lines or dots each  decision really is vital to the whole composition. But after painting for years I find these choices come naturally. As I have grown as an artist my instincts now demand  unique colour combinations and placement.

Which is why I found myself adding a beautiful mix of French Ultramarine and Opera Rose in between the two main clusters of Orange Blossom in this painting  to form an illusion of their being seperated on the branch.

Addition of colour to seperate the two main clusters of blossom

Orange Blossom beginning to come alive during the creative process.

Minus the seperating colour addition

Whilst living in Asia I met and studied under a Shangahineses master. I often worked with Asian watercolours and learned how to mix my own pigment from natural stones. To this day I believe the colours were far more vibrant  from doing so. I was also given fine white powder which when mixed with water created a similar effect to the Chinese White as we know it today.This product is unlike gouache in that it will mix freely with other shades minus the  chalky effects that can occur at times.

Because of very happy memories of my time with this incredible Shanghainese teacher I  used this white to heighten the drama and definition of one or two blossoms. You can see the result best in this image as already shown at the top of this blog entry.

Whites accentuated to form the individual blossom

The mixture of colour and shape are creating a piece that reminds me of my garden on a summers day last year. Having fun simply working for the pleasure of creating rather than aiming to finish a masterpeiec was a terrific way to relax with my brushes.  And I gained many ideas for new paintings along the way so not a minute was wasted!

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It was such a wonderful day yesterday.I walked in the countryside enjoying the beautiful catkins that are now hanging  from the trees and swaying in the light seasonal breezes. In my garden are the very first primroses of the year already in clusters just dying to be painted. Spring is on its' way.

This is the start of a new week which I know is going to be really exciting in my studio as I have so much I am so eager to capture in watercolour. And  I can't wait to add this  eager enthusiasm and passion for colour in the next chapters of my second book.