June Challenge: #30x30DirectWatercolor

 

Chicago Cannas
7" x 7" watercolor
cold press paper

I shot a photo of these cannas while near Millennial Park in Chicago some years ago, and since then I've painted several versions of this scene. Remembering the colors and arrangement of the flowers still gives me great joy. 

This month I'm taking on the challenge of painting, each day, a watercolor painting with minimal underdrawings and working wet-in-wet, with very little layering of glazing. It's part of a #30x30DirectWatercolor challenge organized this year by artists Marc Taro Holmes and Uma Kelkar, both fabulous painters that I have been following. They make the case that "learning the skill of painting directly builds confidence, color-sense, intuition for paint viscosity" and that all this is "crucial to your development as a watercolor artist" (from the Facebook site). 

The first thing I've noticed so far this month is that it's a relief not to have to make an under-drawing with a pencil. And then, without the drawing, it's just natural to use a looser approach with the paint brush--something I've been trying to achieve.  

I've been in a bit of a slump lately, so I'm hoping this daily painting challenge will help boost me out of it. That said, the above painting is the first one I've felt good enough about to post.

Well, maybe the second. Here's the other from June 3:

Poppies in the Grass
7" x 7" watercolor
Cold Press paper