This watercolor was a painting demo and we were inspired by Winslow Homer's beautiful watercolors. They have incredible depth and are composed with something "light" against something dark. The scene pops out! This method focuses the eye to one center of interest. In the Pt Reyes Class, where I created this demo, some painters were mixing up "warm" with "dark". One is a value and one is a temperature and learn to "see" both qualities independently.

Photos will not capture the whole essence of any painting, but it will help the artist see the painting as others see your work. I use photos during the painting process because it allows me to quit painting sooner that later. Once I capture the impression of a scene and I have two complimentary colors working, I photo the image and only complete what is confusing. This sometimes means removing color. I build a painting, I don't fix it!

In winter and have my car set up for oil painting or watercolor depending on the scene. Multiple buildings and too many trees in front often make the composition complicated so I choose watercolors. I paint what is in front first and work backwards. As the scene evolves on paper, I can see the composition that tells the story and I move to oils-its a classic way to approach an oil composition!