Learning from Observing

Echinacea Flowers from my garden

I can't believe that even  with hard frost this week the way my garden is still full  of glowing colour. I have loved the form of Echinacea flowers. Their seedheads are to die for as an exciting subject for artists to work with in watercolour.

I love how the morning Autumn light is hitting their heads and the way the petals fall downwards as if giving the flower a skirt  which adorns their centre. They are fascinating.

Echinacea flower starting to form in a watercolour

I know this will be a fabulous  base as a flower painting to come in a large piece.

I may be racing to paint all the flowers still braving the cold weather before Winter finally arrives forcing them into hibernation for the next few months.

Sometimes we have to paint what we see when we see it. If you think about it naure is an incredible teacher. It shows us we must value what we see for the short time it is in our vision. It teaches us to appreciate colour by consantly changing seasons which draw new ideas from our selected palettes.  It gives us hints on textural additions  in how they can totally change or add drama to a composition. There are many reasons why not always being  in front of your paper  brings the best out of you as an artist so get out today and enjoy being taught by all you see around you,

I am going to do just that!

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