This watercolor was created in my garden. It was a warm, summery day, and I was feeling fractious. My technology was giving me trouble, and I had reached the boiling point. I took my sketchpad out to the garden, sat down in the dirt, and started to draw. The more I drew, the calmer and more grounded I felt, until the day's troubles melted into the rich garden soil. I brought out my watercolors, and a fresh piece of watercolor paper, and I started to paint this. Can you feel the fresh summer air, and smell the honey fragrance of the Susans? Does lavender soothe your soul? The yellow bumble bee wandered in and out of the view so many times, that I knew I was meant to include her.
For me, this painting is symbolic of everything that is fresh, and warm and joyful about summer. It is all about slow-paced days, relaxing deck chairs, iced tea and butterflies, children playing in the sprinklers, and ripe, home-grown tomatoes right off the vine.
Many times, watercolorists will mask out the main subject matter of a painting like this and paint in the background first. That is how I learned to paint the background, and it can be quite striking. I eventually learned to dislike the masking fluid, so now I paint in my blossoms first, then flood in the background after the subject is mostly completed. It is technically harder, and it takes a LOT of courage, but I like the results better.
This piece is framed in a custom pine frame.
