Whimsy Swamp Grass in Watercolor

 

Do you ever sit outside and look at nature?  What I mean is do you really take the time to study those fine details and watch how they connect with one another? 

I do this quite often especially on warm afternoons when life gets quiet.

We have a variety of natural grasses, and they seem to grow in every shade of green. I try to figure out how much yellow I would need for some and what would happen with heavy amounts of cobalt blue added into the mix. 

Everywhere I look questions surface as I think about the mixing process.  

How close will I get and is it even reasonable to try? 

Well, the other morning was a special day, it was my birthday.  I didn't have any serious plans, but I woke up with this color pallet idea and all I could think about was mixing in shades of green.

So, that's what I did, starting with cadmium yellow and cobalt blue.  You might remember me talking about color theory a few months back and I have had the most fun mixing with three primary hues. 

With little effort the colors were forming perfectly as if this morning was meant to be.  It didn't take long before I was grabbing watercolor paper and filling a glass with clean water.

As I blended these colors using my favorite #8 mop brush, I couldn't help but feel inspired. My brain was in a whimsy mood that felt misty. 

It was such fun to let the brush work everything out.  

When the colors started to separate, that's when I stopped to let the grass speak for itself.

What a great morning and now I can move onto a larger piece of watercolor paper to paint what's really blooming within.  Whimsy swamp grass inspired by nature.  

Encouraging goodness,
Carole West