Try, Try Again

 

"Nebraska"
11" x 15" watercolor on Arches 100% cotton cold press 

You know the saying: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." So...I've tried this one maybe five or six times. This one comes the closest, so far. We'll see if it passes the tape-to-the-wall test.

I do like the value study I did for this painting (below). I used just grey tones at first to establish where to put the darks, mediums, and lights for the "real" painting, and then just for fun I added color here and there, to map out a few colors I might use for the painting. It's often the cast that the dashed-off study can be more charming than the final product. This one charms me.

When I saw these dilapidated buildings in Nebraska last fall while riding along I-80 (we were traveling from Iowa to Colorado), I was arrested by the beauty of the scene. And I thought about how so many of the old barns and outbuildings in Iowa are being replaced by shiny metal buildings. I've tried to paint a few of those metal buildings, but I have to say, it just isn't very aesthetically pleasing. 

So...here's to the beauty of old barns, even those that are crumbling. 

Makes Me Smile
9" x 12" watercolor
on Arches 100% cotton cold press

Yes, they make me smile--those California lives oaks that dot the hillsides. I'm loving the slow unfolding of spring in Iowa this year--first time in seven years due to our CA hiatus--but I do miss those live oaks. 

Welcome Home

 

Welcome Home
9" x 11" watercolor
on Arches 100% cotton cold press paper

Yes, it felt like a welcome-home, this view outside our sunroom window upon waking up Wednesday a.m. after a 9-day trip to CA. These flowering crabs were at their peak of color. Then two nights later, a storm took away their beautiful pink and fuchsia petals. Thanks for the welcome, crabbies. 

Not Sure Yet

 

Sedona
10" x 10" watercolor on 100% cotton Arches Cold Press paper

Not sure if this one will pass the tape-on-the-wall-for-a-while test but I sure like it today. Fresh off the press, it's more muted color-wise than my usual style, with fewer hard edges. 

Whether it stands the test of more time, it does bring back memories of being full of wonder at the reds and greens in the Sedona area when I visited a few years ago and snapped the reference photo. Wowie. Nature is such a great painter! 

I was actually quite pleased with the value study I did in preparation for the top painting as I was trying to find the lights and darks. Sometimes the value studies are better than the final paintings.

Yes!

 

Country Road
11" x 15" watercolor on 100% Arches cotton cold press paper

I am unequivocably happy with this one. It's been taped to the wall for weeks and it has definitely passed the tape-on-the-wall-for-a-while test. Sometimes a painting looks good briefly, but after a few days, doesn't any more. 

This one still lifts my heart. 

Or Maybe

 

"Say What?"
6" x 8" watercolor
Arches 100% cold press paper

This one isn't perfect, but I sure had fun doing it; it felt less laborious than the last few paintings. I asked permission from Iowa nature photographer Carl Kurtz to use his reference photo for this. Carl, thank you for your gracious permission! (And if you're not familiar with his work, click on the link and considering ordering one of his books)

Maybe Not

 

Mines of Spain, Dubuque
10" x 11" watercolor
Arches 100% cotton cold press paper

Did I say in September that I thought I was finding a groove? Well, that groove disappeared. But I'm clunking along. And maybe this one will warm up to me over time, even though right now it seems over-worked. I'll tape it to the studio wall for a while and see what happens. 

Yeah, lately it feels like I've completely back-slid as a painter. BUT...I am sure am enjoying fall in Iowa. Maybe it's more important to go out for hikes and watch the color symphony. Heading out as we speak. 

P.S. After some suggestions from Andy Evansen, my online w/c instructor, I did soften the details on the middle evergreens and darken the reddish grasses. I think it helped--see below. Thank you, Andy! (I do recommend his year-long online watercolor course offered by Tuscon Art Academy Online.)