"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Blossom Time 2

This is a painting I prepared for the intermediate watercolor class I am teaching at the Riverside Arts Center this winter session. We have class for 3 hours for 8 mondays - and it started 2 weeks ago. This painting is a rework of one I painted from a photo by Sue Drennon, a Watercolor Workshop friend, which I posted in June of 2009. This is larger than the first one, is 13" x 11" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed Arches watercolor paper with mostly Holbein watercolors. My students did very well on this one and I plan to post a picture of them with their paintings soon.

9 comments:

RH Carpenter said...

Oh, this is lovely and so fresh and bright and makes me feel like maybe spring will come :)

Vicki Greene said...

This is beautiful and so cheerful. It definately says "Spring".

Christiane Kingsley said...

Barbara, this is indeed a lovely and cheerful painting. What an interesting background. I wish I could be in your class!

Timelesslady said...

I love the glow you achieve.

Barb Sailor said...

Rhonda - Thanks - perhaps spring will appear early this year - I can dream!

Vicki - Thanks for your comments. I hadn't thought about spring when I painted it - but it was probably in the back of my mind.

Chistiane - I wish you could be in my class too - you could teach me a lot about pouring...

Inchwormart - Thanks for your comment and for visiting my blog.

Krista Hasson said...

Absolutely Beautiful, the contrast of the light and dark really makes the flower glow

Watercolors by Susan Roper said...

Do you find it difficult to get through to the students about how equally important the darks are as the lights? Your use of dark values is outstanding and is such a wonderful example of how the lights will glow next to the darks.

Barb Sailor said...

Krista and Susan...Since you both addressed the contrast of lights and darks, I will answer this in the same message - strong lights and darks have always been extremely important to me and yes, it is very hard to get that concept to the students. One of my biggest problems in teaching watercolor is that the students do not want to use enough paint - I have one painter that I kid that she will die with the same paints she started with. In order to get strong contrast, you cannot be afraid to use paint. If I can get that concept across, then I have accomplished something.
Thank you both for your comments - they are very appreciated.

Donna Pierce-Clark said...

YUMMY, this one is so bright! And the shadows so distinct!! LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!