Watercolor trees

... on the way to becoming acrylic trees. I started the preliminary work for this painting in class before Christmas - a LONG time to work on one painting, I agree. However, Mexico and Christmas visiting have lengthened the focus on this subject. I think the only reason I'm still interested in this painting is because of the color - RED trees? I love it now... 3 years ago I would have REFUSED to make red trees, lol.

This is the painting as it was last night... after class and after landing face down, unscathed, in the Chinook Bay parking lot. Here's the list of concerns:

• the yellow seemed too dark or bright or something... Sharon suggested that it was too solid, no variety in the yellow hue.
• the value of the red trees is the same as the tree trunks... thanks Joanne for that lesson on values and the color wheel. In my value study the branches are at least 2 values lighter than the trunks...
• the shapes of the right hand foreground tree are too similar and spaced equally. Big bad!

So, these issues in combination with my burning desire to play with my Golden fluid acrylics gave me an idea. Why not glaze the entire painting with gesso (basically white acrylic)? That will knock the value of the red down. Adding a slight yellow tint to some of that gesso might help vary the yellow background a bit too. Of course that will give me an opportunity to change shapes as well. To a previously die-hard watercolorist this seems like a cheat. I'm fighting that instinct and it's actually kind of freeing!!! Tomorrow I'll post on the results of this little experiment... stay tuned!

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