Lorraine Brown Week #1

Happy New Year fellow Artists and Watercolour lovers.

Firstly not all my posts with have this much dialogue to get through but I thought it important for the first one to have some introduction.

I am really looking forward to 2015 with excitement of what might lay ahead for me and my art journey. As we all know Watercolour is such a surprise medium to use and for me that means an adventure every time I paint. I have been on a steep learning curve these past three years and have clocked up more than 5000 hours of painting and I know there is many more required to consider myself experienced but when I was asked to join the "Washing Girls" in presenting this year long blog I jumped at the chance for these reasons:

• An excellent opportunity to share and communicate with others who have a passion for watercolour
• Learn from not just my experiments but from everyone who contributes and shares
• Formally document my studies and colour choices for reference for "proper" paintings
• Add to the purpose of practising alone in my studio for so many hours every week

I am not sure what my journey will cover over the next 52 weeks but that of course adds to the fun of it. I hope you will find something of interest and use to you from my weekly contribution

Let's Start!.

Week 1 - What's in Season - PLUMS

I live in South Australia so what is in season for me is likely not to be in your part of the world but I love to paint from life when I can. I have a bountiful laden Plum tree outside my studio with the fruit in stages of ripeness which we usually pick mid to late January.

I have chosen 5 colours with 4 of them brand new to me from Daniel Smith 

• Bloodstone Genuine - a dark colour that granulates out leaving wonderful texture. I can see this being a new favourite
• Quinacridone Fuchsia - ideal for plums not really dark yet
• Cascade Green - I was introduced to this in November at a Jean Haines workshop. It is a very unnatural green colour but it offers a wonderful blue colour as it granulates
• Perylene Maroon - earthy,a bit of warmth and a change from Burnt Sienna for me
• Quinacridone Gold - a Winsor & Newton Favourite - just a touch that probably got a bit lost in my little study

Plum Study 7 x 5 inches

WIP paintings using my little reference study, the one on the left is on Arches 300gsm Rough paper, the one on the right YUPO

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