Croatia Sketches

So many picturesque places to paint in Croatia!  I've been trying to convince myself to sketch every day and today I finally listened to me and did two. ;)

 

Warts and All

I love traveling all around the world virtually, but something fundamentally doesn't work with that approach, and that is to be able to see all the color bouncing around a scene, as is visible when painting plein air. Intellectually, I know it's there and sometimes I can fake it, but nothing compares to the real deal. Yesterday, I placed a decorative gourd on my work table and my eyes were dazzled by all the color.  (Maybe a little too dazzled, but better too much than too little). So, here's my little gourd, warts and all.

Orange Boat

What could be better than hanging out in a cantaloupe colored boat on a sunny day? Well, actually untying the line and heading out to fish maybe. This was my first time painting on Saunders Waterford 200# paper and I'm very happy with the way it handled. I saturated it with water and stuck it on a plexiglass backing, where it stayed wet for hours while I added paint and lifted color.  And no buckling! You could say this paper really floated my boat. :)

Heading Home

My curiosity is always piqued by open doorways as in this scene painted for the Virtual Paintout in Denmark this month.

Swan Lake

This was the most amazing sight I've seen yet on my virtual jaunts. The entire lake, located in Copenhagen, Denmark, was full of beautiful, graceful swans. So gorgeous!

Fall Leaf

Awww man, it IS fall. I spotted this little leaf on the way to the mailbox and had to console myself by painting it.

Walking the Dog

The first of every month is like Christmas, thanks to the Virtual Paintout. It's always fun to see the new location and learn a little about the country. This month we're off to Denmark, a spectacularly beautiful place. I spotted this fellow walking through the woods. He looked a little lonely, so I gave him a dog.