Sunday Sketches

Every morning when I look out the window of the sliding glass door near my bed, I see an out of focus version of a forest of trees (without my glasses). The sky holes between the branches look like sparkling gems, the needles of the cedar trees are various size blobs of green, and the tall tree trunks look ominous.

I attempted to put this vision on paper starting first with quick brush strokes of watercolor. Everything ran together and there was no definition of shapes, so I decided the tree and branches would have inked outlines. Lastly, I got the sponge out to give the green blogs texture.

It does NOT look like my vision, but I had fun doing it.

The Spirit of Balance

Getting back into reading Jeanne Carbonetti's book The Tao of Watercolor, I came upon her thoughts in regards to balance in a painting.

She claims that the spirit one brings to the practice of painting is the ability to respond with a fresh outlook to the dynamics of brush, water, and paper. It is not to force anything but to respond to everything---without getting caught up in details too soon, which can be a fatal mistake in painting.

Rembrandt said, "We should view a painting, not 'nose' it."
Jeanne reminds us to see all the space, not just painted space, as being worthy of your attention---and when you think of empty space as being full of potential---that just may be the secret to success in painting as it is in life.

Thoughts to ponder........


Summer Reflections
by Jeanne Carbonetti