I was blessed with the opportunity to take a watercolor painting class this week while vacationing in Yosemite. Watercolor painting is something I do only rarely, and I almost never do plein air drawing or painting, so this was definitely outside of my comfort zone.
Painting en plein air has its challenges: wind, shifting light and shadow, dirt and dust, bugs, the ephemerality of nature--but I find it so peaceful and meditative. The instructor, Linda, was wonderfully helpful and encouraging, and I got to meet some neat people besides. Linda got to demonstrate some watercolor techniques--much needed review for myself--and then I spent some time carefully considering which view I wanted to paint. If you have had experience with landscape drawing or painting, it is easy to get wrapped up and overwhelmed by the beauty of nature and with wanting to include everything one sees onto the blank page. On this particular day, we happened to have a breathtaking view of Half Dome, complete with river, rocks, sublime granite cliffs, and trees.
I forced myself to focus on the smaller details that people tend to overlook, taking Half Dome out of my mental viewfinder and focusing on the trees and their gentle reflection in the water. After a bit of prayer before beginning to paint, and a bit of struggling with mixing paints to find the right hues and values for the trees, I produced something that quite surprised me.
I forced myself to focus on the smaller details that people tend to overlook, taking Half Dome out of my mental viewfinder and focusing on the trees and their gentle reflection in the water. After a bit of prayer before beginning to paint, and a bit of struggling with mixing paints to find the right hues and values for the trees, I produced something that quite surprised me.
The Lord is gracious! So thankful that He guided my eye and hand in painting. There are a few things in this work that I wish I could improve, but that is all part of the growth and learning process of an artist.