Can you believe I’ve already finished my fourth painting? Me either, but since it was my first self-directed watercolor, I chose an easy one. Painting is self-care for me, something I try to do it frequently.
This painting was inspired by a photo taken by my friend, Mike, a coxswain at Oregon State. You can see the painting’s evolution, from inspiration to finish below:
And here’s another of the finished piece:
Why was this painting my first self-directed exercise?
- Well, as I said, it’s pretty easy. It was painted mostly wet on wet, which means wet paint on already wet paper, allowing the colors to blend and move together without hard edges. The trees, mountains, and rowing team were painted wet on dry, allowing the hard edges to more strongly define the painting’s foreground elements.
- Also, I love water—you’ll see it as a theme in most of my paintings going forward—and who could resist this sky?
Do you have any questions about painting or how I put this one together? Let me know in the comments. I’m certainly no watercolor expert, but I’ll do my best to answer.
How have you practiced self-care recently?
Cheers,
P.s. Thanks, again, to Mike for the inspiration — Go Beavers!
