Painter with a Lead Foot

 

Glowing Tree

Watercolor, 5" x 10"

Arches 100% cotton cold press

Getting through this painting was like riding with a lead-foot driver who happened to be me.  

I wanted to use the kind of quick, expressive strokes that I so admire in local artist David Savellano, but everything accelerated way too quickly. Suddenly it was all too bright and needed toning down in places. Then I had too many dark areas. Then I realize I'd left absolutely no white on the page, which in watercolor helps "tell the story," as they say. I lifted some paint here and then and started back in with more mark-making, unable to slow down and be judicious. Finally I slammed on the brakes, but it was too late: I'd overworked the painting -- the very thing I was trying to avoid. 

However...I did capture the way those red flowers on the neighbor's tree have been glowing in late afternoon sunlight these past weeks. That's something.