Boulder in Burnscape

"Burnscape #3"
watercolor, graphite on paper, 2007
9" x 12" (22.86cm x 30.84cm)

Here is an early watercolor from my Burnscape series.
I liked this view for the boulder and rock ledge in the foreground.
The white ash was put in more opaquely since there was no way to retrieve the white of the paper or effectively spare it out and build the forms of the hillside properly.
I do not mind this however. The ash sits on top and really pops out or forward, giving the scene greater depth, helps define the topography of the hill and gives it a cool blueish color against the warms of the hillside.

I could have tried a masking fluid but had none at the time and wanted to dive right into painting. In fact I never really use masking fluid anyway.
As other artists know, sometimes you need to strike while the iron is hot, jump right in when you have a sudden inspiration, no planning, just throw down paint and see what results from it.
Not all work out this way but when they do it can be satisfying.

I was happy with this one because I managed to achieve a certain richness of tone and color relatively effortlessly.
I did not have to fight the usual watercolor battles ending up with an overworked painting.173


Click on image for larger view