Bright shiny objects

Several years ago on Halloween eve, I was carving pumpkins with friends. My pumpkin design was very intricate: I had a vision of flicking candlelight streaming through the carved openings. I continued to cut away the pumpkin flesh, pushing the limit, until... with just one more cut... the entire pumpkin collapsed inward. A mound of pumpkin mush lay before me. Oh, Halloween horror!

I recalled the pumpkin episode as I painted the Dogwood blossoms. I started with a gentle watercolor wash in soft pastel hues. Then, one warm Saturday afternoon, while shopping for watercolor paper at Blick, rows of watercolor pencils caught my eye. Ink intense. Bright shiny objects. Must have.

I bought a handful of watercolor pencils and rushed home to try them out -- on my tender Dogwood blossoms. With the first application, an inner voice moaned, "Uh oh." Gone were the soft petals of spring, replaced by a bright commercial graphic suitable for a luau. "Oh, well."

Sometimes its good to push the limit. Try something new. "You'll never know if you don't go."

So now I know a bit more about watercolor pencils -- and I love my No. 6 round brush all the more.

Hope Springs - Watercolor

Yeah, draw

The intermediate drawing instructor strolled into class late. Without saying a word, she walked across the studio, sat on a stool and looked over the roster. She took a deep breath and, continuing to stare down at the class list, she said, "I don't have a plan for today. So why don't you all go outside and draw." It was the first class session.

Looking around outside, the campus landscape didn't offer much in the way of inspiration, with the exception of a bed of vibrant purple irises. After three hours meditating in drawing on one particular iris, I returned to the studio with the other students before the end of the session.

"Well, there's no time for a critique, so I'll see you next week." With that the instructor adjourned our first session and began walking toward the door. But before she could exit, a student asked, "Is there homework?" The instructor paused. "Yeah, draw."