Fuschia Singing Jazz

Fuschia Singing Jazz on the Balcony
Watercolor and Gouache, 5.5" x 6.5"
Arches 100% cotton cold press

The painting on the last post, "Fushia Singing on the Balcony," didn't seem quite done. Now I think it is. The fuschia wasn't just singing; it was singing jazz. I had to show the truth. 

But now it's time to move on. 

Fuschia Singing

Fuschia Singing on the Balcony
Watercolor and Gouache, 5.5" x 6.5"
Arches 100% cotton cold press

Not sure if this is yet finished...or it must just be a case of the photo doing more justice than a painting can. The tricky part is that the flowers are in the medium value (tone) range and the black pot is a high value range, which can make the painting feel heavy, as it does to me right now. 

I've asked for some feedback from another artist, so if she is able to help me, I'll be back with a different version.

Meanwhile, I do like enough things about this one to share it. And it's a relief to work with gouache again. You can cover it up and start again much more easily than with watercolor.

Here's the photo: see what I mean? 

Bougainvillea Again

Bougainvillea Tending to the Coffee Shop

Watercolor, 5.5" x 8.5"

Arches 100% cotton watercolor paper 

These California bougainvillea are quite amazing, and I'm guessing I'll be trying to paint them for a very long time. Seems like they bloom their masses of paper flowers at least twice a year, maybe more. There's nothing like them in the Midwest, I can tell you that.