Well, my friends, I am still struggling with my sumi-e and have messed up several paintings. I have found that newsprint works really well as practice paper and have decided that I need to work smaller right now. So I took a detour while I regrouped.
Last Friday, I did a Painting and Poetry tour for a middle school class. It was an incredible tour. They were studying poetry so all of them had read poetry, over half of the kids write poetry and when I asked for volunteers to read poetry I had more volunteers than poems to read. Unheard of! One of the poems inspired me to pull out a sheet of watercolor board and to start painting again. The poem is Sunflakes by Frank Asch and here are the first few lines:
If sunlight fell like snowflakes
gleaming yellow and so bright,
We could build a sunman
We could have a sunball fight
As I painted I began to think about sunlight flowing like water and, because I was starting with my “Krasner colors” of magenta and sap green, about Hawaii and the beautiful waterfalls we saw while in Hawaii. This led to light falling like a waterfall. Anyway – enough – here is Sunfall.
Sunfall - Watercolor on Full Sheet of Arches Watercolor Board
Gorgeous! I find myself doing somersaults into its depths.
I keep thinking about sledding down a hill made of sunflakes. Sparkles flying into the air as I schusssss down. This has been so much fun to think about!
Makes me smile and say “Oh yeah!”
Thank you, Judy. I think we should take a ride on a sunmobile!
I love it, fresh and the movement in the middle… wonderful!
Thanks Ryan. I want to do something with only my Krasner colors but I haven’t decided what! They remind me of Spring.
Wonderful, Linda!
Thank you! I want to try something like my current style but on Yupo. That’s on my to do list.
Linda, I just loved this so very much that it made me run for my watercolors! You inspire me always. Thanks!
Thank you Linda. I love the luminous color you can achieve with watercolor. With my current painting style I have to be careful that I don’t achieve MUD!
They’re both beautiful, Linda, the painting and the poem. Warming.
Thank you, Hanneke! I LOVED this poem. I need some sunshine right now….
Magnificent.
Thanks JD! I have alot to learn about design and composition. You are teaching me every time you post!