Palm 2

Palm 2

Line and Watercolor Wash

The palms that grow on the back side of the beach dunes seem to never rest as the sea breeze wafts and waves their fronds.  I use the pen with it's fine line for the details I need while I use the watercolor wash to add the abstraction that gives the painting life.

Palm 1

Palm 1 

Line and Watercolor Wash

This view of a palm on the beach dunes with sea oats is the foundation for an expression of the feeling of chill and the smell of the salt air on a windy, overcast day.  The pen with it's fine line gives me the details I need while the watercolor wash leads to the abstraction that gives the painting life.

Circumstances have kept me from my studio and from pastels.  In the interim, I have been painting with ink and watercolor washes.  

Marsh Willow - sketches

Watercolor and ink sketches - 12x5 cm

I have long been interested in this particular willow that grows on the edge of the marsh.  It is weathered and broken by storms, but its new branches are vigorous and strong.  The marsh and meadow behind it stand in contrast to the oaks and pines that surround it.

I used watercolor and ink to try various views of the marsh and willow.  By using watercolor, I can unify the palette with a single color and build from that, experimenting with various color combinations and values more easily.  I plan to do a larger work, so the light and color balance is important, and I can do try that out quickly in these small sketches.  For composition, I added some cattle which create perspective with their size and color.