Hydrangea!
I had two watercolour lessons this week, and finished my fifth and final in-person painting with Ruth as my teacher.
And because I love Hydrangeas, and because I was drawn to work with Ruth because I fell in love with her Hydrangea painting – I painted a Hydrangea. This one was photographed in Ottawa when we lived in a house on the Rideau River.
I will show you the original and one manipulation of it, but first – my watercolour.
My photograph, which was the reference for the painting –
And my manipulation of the same Hydrangea from a few years ago –
So, that’s the latest news on my Hydrangeas. 🙂
I had a great time with Ruth and am working on an idea for web-lessons when we head back home to the Abacos on Friday.
My gratefuls – That last few lessons with Ruth were wonderful! That my husband is very generous, and is giving me a brand-new MacBook Pro, top of the line, in about an hour and a half… and he is taking my year-old one. That Apple is amazing in honouring their Apple Care insurance policies, and that their employees worked their buns off to make our lives very happy. That I had a nice, quiet day alone on Saturday to catch up on naps, soak in the bathtub, watch design shows on television all day. That our fireplace is warm and cozy.
meandering minds... 
Wow! It is turning out beautiful Patty! I think you should give the background a darkish wash for the flowers to really jump off the page. Love hydrangeas!
Wow!!!!!!! Patty, you are a true watercolorist! Wonderful! Kudos to your teacher, Ruth, and kudos to you!
You definitely have the knack, and all that drawing you did last year has really paid off. Look forward to seeing more and more beauty painted by Patty.
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Thank you Mary – this means a lot coming from you!
I am anxious to see how much of a watercolorist I am without dear Ruth holding my hand! 🙂
I have to work on that, and my confidence. And I plan to create lessons via webcam with her too!
Oh my, Munira. So it doesn’t look finished yet?
I had chosen that very light wash – it is such a soft painting… but then I do know that the dark colours pop the painting, like I did with my very first painting of the tulip.
Ruth asked me – light wash or darker? I chose light. I can contemplate the dark, though…
Thank you!
Patty, that is truly beautiful. What a joy to watch you develop as an artist. Need I remind you again that I have a birthday coming up? 🙂 Love, Mar
It’s beautiful, Patty…what patience! I do agree with Munira though, and like I told you yesterday, a darker background would take it from beautiful to WOW. You don’t need any handholding from anyone, you know how to draw, you know your colours….go for it – although a cheering section is really nice. And sometimes it may even mean having to do a painting twice – that’s what the learning process is all about. Take it from one that tries again and again…!
Light wash it is then! Though I wish I could show you what I mean when I say there should be an area of deeper colour somewhere in the background…..it doesn’t have to be entirely dark, just here and there behind the bunch. Btw, what paints are you using?
p.s. I love the way you have done the flowers….such detail! It must have been quite a task 🙂
You did a great job finishing the painting and it looks wonderful. The background is a matter of choice…the softness you have created makes a beautiful piece. Making it darker might make the flowers pop more but you might lose some of the wistfulness. Live with it for awhile and then decide.
Thank you Ruth!
I do love the softness of this piece.
Well, show me on one of your watercolours, Munira!
There is the darkness (relatively) in the borrow right side. Maybe not enough?
I can live with it and see what happens.
The paints are Daniel Smith, a couple Rembrandts and a few Windsor Newtons for the basics. This paper is Bockingford 250 lb. cold press, which I am tending to like!
Thank you Mary. Thank you for coming to art classes with me – that exploratory class where we drew with sticks and paint, and did potato prints and all that good stuff!
Yes, I do have patience Brigitte! Which is nice. I can lose myself just sitting there putting the paint on the paper.
I will live with it a while and see what I want to do with the background. There’s always time for a change if one is really needed!
There you have it – you are a patient person, and I am not, and we act (and paint) accordingly. So we have much to learn from one another.
🙂 Brigitte
How lovely! And I can’t believe that it’s time for you to go home already!
Thanks SS, and yes, we leave on Friday.
I have mixed emotions, but it is time!
Those are perfectly done, Patty! Very realistic looking.
Thank you Judy!!
I love realism. I know a lot of artists strive for looseness, but I love what I’ve done with Ruth so far!