Well this had to be one of the most beautiful summers in the Pacific Northwest, but like all good things it had to come to an end and the rains have come! Time to get busy painting, and I don't mean walls. I have been teaching drawing classes at Green River College for the past few years and this year in addition to a drawing class I will be teaching a class in two of my favorite things. . .watercolor and flowers. It was a great year for flowers this year and I collected a great selection of photos for reference in the class. Class starts next Tuesday and the first painting we will be doing is a daylily. This plant is right next to my driveway and blooms for weeks, the flowers are huge with multiple buds on each stem, the color is a bright gold that glows even on the dreariest days. Here is the photo that the class will be working from.
And here is the painting that I did from this photo.
It is on 300# Arches hot press paper, using Daniel Smith watercolors. The new element I am doing with my watercolors is mounting the painting and varnishing the piece. This eliminates the need for glass, matts and framing. I am mounting the painting using the Ampersan clayboard, on this piece the wooden rocker is 2" thick, so the piece can be hung or it will sit very securely on any flat surface. Another added benefit is that the rocker can be color coordinated with the painting. It takes a little time and effort but so far I really like the results.
I will be posting the photo and resulting painting every week and possibly if the students will allow it, photos of some of their paintings too.
