Summer Rose

"Summer Rose" is currently on view on my solo exhibition "Near, Far and Farther" at the Danville Art League. The exhibition is featuring my travel watercolors I paint on-site.  "Summer Rose" began as a painting of a real rose which I began at the Southern Illinois Art Workshop.  Carol Garver of the Danville Art League was in attendance at the workshop and she invited me to have a solo exhibition at Danville.

I always have 'in-progress' paintings so students can see how I develop a painting. It is important for students to see the stages of a painting, that you don't finish a detailed, layered painting in one frantic session. Mostly, it is important to let a watercolor wash dry completely before adding another layer of paint.  Working on a second painting while the first one dries is a great strategy for getting more done and not picking away at a painting you should let rest!

You can see that in the August 'Watercolor Explorers' Club' workshop at the Ewing Manor in Bloomington, "Summer Rose" was not quite finished. After the workshop, in my own studio, I finished the painting.  Primarily, I emphasized the background, darkening and defining the leaves that surrounded the rose.  I also brought some of the pink tones (permanent rose) into all the petals to create optical harmony.