#WorldWatercolorMonth! Day 22-23

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Working out of the same palette as the previous post---

Day 22  was Rainforest.

Trying to loosen up, I started with heavy washes and floating colors on select areas of sketchbook paper.

I was working with a long 3/4 flat brush---and just sort of lobbing the color on, the fronds are painted on a dry area.

I painted this whole painting with the large brush...it has a sharp edge one direction and then pulled the other way it widens out. I dabbed out some extra color and reapplied it with a sponge.

Colors look different here---I did some water spritzing to unsharpened some edges.

I floated some red for suggestions of flowers...and did some more water...this was  an interesting experiment. Tried melding some red into the greens for shading? Successful in some areas and not in others. 

I've never been to a rainforest, and probably never will, so this is reminiscent of the Chicago Botanical Garden greenhouses. We love visiting in winter when the orchids are in full bloom, but it is gorgeous all year round.

Day 23...Beach  Hometown shoreline, painted from memories

Worked on sketchbook paper, lots of water to give the misty feel of the lakefront.

I grew up in a city on the west side of Lake Michigan. Not all beaches are broad and smooth. North of town we had sand and gravel bluffs thirty to forty feet high  covered in waist high grasses. Beaches were stony, full of driftwood, glass and debris.  The stone jetties by the zoo are gone now---and were falling apart in the 1960's. I remember these three south of the lighthouse which I believe are still there some distance south to stop lake erosion. 

The point and the lighthouse is named Wind Point...there has been a working lighthouse here since 1880. It's one of the taller and older light houses on Lake Michigan and still used for navigation.

I painted this from memory as my computer was down. I'm remembering what would have been somewhere along the coast probably from the golf course south of the lighthouse, 

or a combination of sites. 

My memories are rich, I can remember the seagrass, gritty sand, acres of rounded rocks, thrashing waves when the tide(yes, the great lakes have a tide), the scent of the lake water...and a long walk up the bank hanging onto thick grass to pull you up. 

Disclaimer: Any products I am using are not a recommendation, but only for reference for the reader's use. I am in no way affiliated with any of the companies or products, or have I received compensation or products. 

My painting projects will be posted on Pinterest, Flickr and Facebook with the hashtag 

LINK: #WorldWatercolorMonth

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Sandi