Prickly Pear @ UC Berkeley Botanical Garden
6" x 7" watercolor, Arches 100% cotton cold press paper
I’ve been waiting for, hoping for, that moment when painting with watercolors feels as natural as riding a bike. Yesterday while painting this prickly pear cactus, I felt it. First I tried to slow down and see and paint what I saw from the photo I had taken. Eventually I made a transition from trying to duplicate the photo to making the marks that I intuitively felt the painting needed. That’s when I felt myself take off on the bike.
Will that feeling last? Probably not, but it was certainly a heady ride.
Does having the feeling mean the painting is successful? Who cares! Isn’t that beside the point? I’m telling you, I was riding the bike! That’s all that matters.
No comments:
Post a Comment