This year we have a very dry, very hot summer and now (halfway August) lots of trees and bushes have begun to change to their autumn colours. The colour change varies from subtle to very visible and even loss of foliage and an early shedding of fruits (acorns, chestnuts, etc.) is happening now.
Our walks in parks or nature reserves are colourful and inspiring me to make reference pictures so I can paint later.
We made a short walk in the area of the 'Broekpolder' near Vlaardingen (Netherlands) and a large part of that area is being grazed by Highland Cattle. They can be seen almost everywhere and they are not shy at all. This mother and child were in one of the lower fields, following the path that was made by some other members of the herd towards the water.
They are partly hidden by the high grasses and make a nice point of interest.
Sketching them on smooth paper is easy, I had to do that to explore the forms of the cattle as I do not often draw or paint cattle. To copy that initial sketch to my watercolour paper is a bit of a challenge as the surface of my watercolour paper is textured. In fact this took me more time and use of the eraser than the initial drawing in my sketchbook.
Once again I have tried to focus on atmosphere in my painting, so the Highland Cattle had to be recognisable but not very detailed. The field has many grasses and herbs and that gives a very colourful view. The bushes are very close to the water and have not started to change colour but the trees are further off and already changing to their autumn colours.
I am still exploring this 'new path' I have chosen for my paintings and I am looking for variation in my choice of subjects in order to find out what suits me best.
So my travelling along this 'new path' will be continued, but I do not really know where it will lead me.
More information about this watercolour painting (size, materials used, availability, etc) can be found at my website www.jannekesatelier.webs.com
No comments:
Post a Comment