Watercolor Artisan not Architect

When I took my first baby steps as a watercolor artist I had no drawing skills. My beginner paintings didn’t contain much except sky & water. I wasn’t confident enough to add a tree, a road or the most frightening subject of all a building. Through the years I’ve challenged myself and discovered I loved painting animals and landscapes. Dogs became a joy to paint. But I shied away from the dreaded structure of buildings. Mostly because I felt that I had to study perspective and understand viewpoints to draw it correctly.

I’m not sure why I felt this way. I never worried about a dog or chicken painted in unrealistic colors or missing body parts, like half a head. I’m fine with that lost & found look. Buildings just alluded me.

In my recent class with Fabio Cembranelli I was fascinated by his paintings of doors and windows. Using his reference photo I gave it a try.

This is my painting

 

I’m not sure why I felt so intimidated to paint a structure. It’s really no different from painting any other subject. Transfer the image to paper and have fun with the values, shapes & colors.

Knowing I’m a designer not an engineer allows me to create the doorway in a style of my own using the colors that I like. Flowers are the same whether they are growing in a garden, in a pot or on a wall.

This may not be my best painting but it was a painting process filled with all the things I like best about painting. My palette containing beautiful colors, friends around me working on their art and a teacher encouraging me to go for it.

Thanks Fabio for a wonderful classroom experience. I will attempt to paint the beautiful windowers you demonstrated for us. Your shuttered windows and balconeys were breathtakingly beautiful.

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Lorraine Rimmelin

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http://www.watercolorartisan.com

~ by Lorraine Rimmelin on August 6, 2018.