demo painting from class

This painting will be included in my "Pathways and Transitions" series:

"Autumn Pathway"

My painting has possessed me since last night's class. I started this as a demonstration painting a week ago when I introduced watercolor washes using a spray bottle and a whole lotta water. My last blog post showed the early stages and I forced myself to not do too much before last night because I wanted to show my students specific techniques using 2 brushes - one with paint, the other with just water, together both brushes are used for controlling the paint's direction.

I am always challenged when I use the yellow/orange palette because watercolor paper can turn muddy so easily. I worked on this all afternoon and at one point I was ready to tear it up! I thought it was muddy and confusing, but I was so absorbed in the painting. I took my dog for a walk, came back to view what seemed to feel like a dimensional, successful autumn landscape. In the morning when I look at this with fresh eyes, I will know if it's ready to be signed.