"Above the Parapet"
Watercolour on paper
A surprise parcel arrived from a lovely friend - a "Daniel Smith" tube of watercolour paint in a beautiful subtle green.
It would be naturally tempting to paint a landscape with a green paint, but I decided to try something different and in a moment of pure joy, this ostrich appeared with a magical blending of pigments.
And that, I believe is the beauty of watercolour. It is when the painting seems to paint itself and quite often the phrase "less is more" springs to mind. This painting was created reactively. Whilst I sort of led the process, at times the paint mingled and moved on the paper in a way that I just watched it with joy - effects appearing as the washes were drying.
I love this Daniel Smith pigment painted on my favourite Saunders Waterford paper and I think my next piece using it will again "not be a landscape". More importantly though, I must thank my friend for her kindness in sending me this gift and it reminds me that constantly experimenting and trying new things is one of the most fulfilling and exciting parts of creation.
And every now and then, don't forget to put your head above the parapet :-)
Have fun with your painting
