Manatee

"Gentle Giant "

 Manatee

I have so much I want to share from my recent travels to USA which closed with my workshops in Florida. While there I desperately wanted to see manatee. I had heard so much about them. But I was working so hard that the little free time I had didn't really give me much of an opportunity to see these gentle giants.

As time passed by my longing to see them grew.  I knew there was a chance to see one in captivity but that is something I cannot do.  Pay to see a living thing with a prison sentence. To me the best place to see wildlife is in the wild. But the days continued to race by and soon it would be time for me to return home to UK. Minus having seen this mysterious creature from the deep.

Luckily for me, I am married to one of the most wonderful men in the world. While I was busy teaching my husband looked for where and when we could definitely see manatee. And so, on one of my last days in Florida I found myself on a boat heading out to where manatee were supposed to be.

And we saw them! 

I was so thrilled. I felt like a child at Christmas when the gift they thought they would never have is their right in front of them. I watched them mesmerised and I haven't been able to get them out of my head. Hence this watercolour painting of one. I had a blue wash at hand that a manatee , as a subject, worked perfectly on.

These creatures I am told are called "sea  cows" because of their size and grazing habits. But to me they remind me of mermaids, albeit perhaps without the most beautiful of faces. But having said that.  I do think they are beautiful!

I am already looking forward to not only returning to Florida but sharing my new colour combinations, wash uses and subject experiments minus the use of a preliminary sketch. Oh my, there is as always so much more to share. And I am so inspired.

Roll on my next workshops. 

And the next time I see manatee!

N.B  I will be teaching in Florida next year !

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