Sequence

                                   "Hendrick's Head Summer"
                                                                       15" X 22"

Most watercolorists will tell you that you begin with the lights, proceed to the midtones and then punch it up with the darks.  Goodness knows that's the way I was taught and how I've painted through the years.

However, some watercolorists begin with the darks, among them Ted Kautzky.  I've always resisted this idea because when I first tried it, the darks would bleed when a midtone was placed on top of it.
Also, certain color combinations would create muddy  darks.  It always resulted in an ugly mess.

Now that I understand a lot more about the amount of water, brush pressure and color combinations, I've once again tried the darks-first method with a little more success than my first attempts at this sequence.

Here's an example of this approach.

Balance

                                 "The Bay Lady"    15" X 22"


I placed the Friendship sloop Bay Lady on the third, but needed something else on the other side of the teeter-totter, so I placed the distant  three sails near the shoreline to balance the large boat in the foreground.  The sailboats at shore's edge also helped break up a straight line to avoid what Edgar Whitney called "monotony en route."

Consider balancing one large shape with several smaller shapes on the other side of the page.

Wet-Into-Wet, Gradation, and dry brush.....

                              Hendrick's Head Lighthouse    "22 X 30"


I'm so happy to announce my 6th summer workshop in Boothbay Harbor, Maine    July 20 - 24th. 
Contact me at     caroljessen@yahoo.com    or call me:  314-968-5567.     This is a beautiful area with loads of subject matter.   Check out this painting of one of our painting sites. 

Lessons change every summer.  I still encourage beginners as well as seasoned painters to come enjoy the Boothbay Region, and to try out new techniques and especially to figure out how to begin a new painting. 

This is Hendrick's Head Lighthouse.  I've painted it at least a hundred times, but never tire of the challenge of different ways to approach the subject.

Workshop Opportunity

                                                                  " Cornwall Beach "
           
                                                       15" X 22"

     I am happy to announce a two day spring workshop to be held at the Missouri Artists on Main Street in historic St. Charles. 

     Dates:  Thursday, May 7th and Saturday, May 9th.
     Time:  9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
     Tuition:  $150
     Subjects:  Landscapes in Three Steps
                     1. Wet-Into-Wet
                     2. Gradation (of color and values)
                     3. Drybrush and line

                    Underpainting/Glazing

Contact Jean McMullen at        636-724-1260     or jmcmullenart@aol.com

There is a limit of 10 students for this fact-packed workshop.  Make your reservation soon.  Last fall's workshop filled up quickly!

The Star on Each Plane

Sometimes it's a good idea to de-emphasize the foreground or background by painting wet-into-wet to keep the edges soft.  But in some landscapes, I like to look past something interesting in the foreground to something interesting in the mid-ground and the far distance.

In this painting, I looked through the trees at a serene lake scene.  In the foreground I placed a focal point of a birch tree on the left.  Knowing that a flat lake would hold little interest, I added some sailboats in the middle ground.  And finally, a low hanging cloud and its cast shadow on the distant mountains provided a point of interest even farther back.

In this way I supply a pathway through the scene. 

Watch this space for a workshop announcement soon!