"Santa Ana River #2"
watercolor on paper, 2012
8" x 11" (20.32cm x 27.94cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE
Looking forward to a new year as I have set many goals for 2012. Of course that now means signing the date '12. Darn, the two ones of '11 were so much easier. Oh well.
Here is my first finished piece of 2012, literally done on January 1st. This is the second of this urban river.
Much like the first, done in oil, it's the juxtaposition of the natural and man-made world that I find fascinating to study.
The lazy meandering river takes its time moving through the frame from right to left. The razor sharp line of the highlighted bike path slicing across the picture, the verticals of power poles and towers and the flat plane of the river bank contrast nicely with the organic flow of water and vegetation. 164
Click to see "Santa Ana River #1"
Click on image for larger view
Posts
What a great picture. I like the composition and the reflection of sky in the water. Also interesting is the backlight. It is very moving picture, with great sensitivity. The melancholy always work very well.
ReplyDeletea greeting
it's a good one to start the year with David... i love the limited palette and your handling of what looks to me indigo and burnt sienna and yellow ochre (?). and i especially like the golden light which is sprinkled around like gold dust :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Ricardo,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your comment since I have been struggling a little with these watercolors. Some will never see the light of day. I'm glad you like this one, that tells me I'm communicating something right.
Thanks Rahina,
It Felt good to through down a good one for the first of the year, a good sign for the rest of the year I hope.
The limited palette is actually made up of many colors, to achieve a certain richness. I rarely put down a color straight from the tube. Yes on yellow ochre and burnt sienna but of course other colors added to it. What is indigo is actually paynes gray modified with various blues and umber to warm it up or cool it down or orange, reds, yellows to neutralize the mixture. Paynes gray is great because it is dark but mixes with other colors better than black does.
I am so happy to check out your blog. I try to do so on a daily basis. Your work is always refreshing and exciting. Thanks for posting for all to see.
ReplyDeleteThank you Michael,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your visits and your interest.