Someone once said you never really see a thing until you draw it and that's true for me. Doing a thirty-day watercolor challenge has me up early to paint on site. It's been windy and/or cool so I've been working from inside the car. It is a bit of a juggling act, starting with determining THE spot. Yesterday, although they've always been there, large boulders edging the parking lot struck my fancy. Cautiously, I painted the first one and it actually looked like a big old rock, so I was off and running doing a whole line of them. I felt like a kid. This new subject and getting it right thrilled me. Today, it was back to the same spot but a different angle on those rocks and again determining how to make a blacktop parking lot interesting? Dogs to the rescue. Many pass along the Riverwalk, so, along with gulls they gave vitality and life to my landscape.
I try not to be overly picky when picking a scene or subject to paint. There is potential in virtually anything and everything. Even last year doing this same June challenge I remember having to grope for subject matter. Perhaps these months of isolation and quarantine have played a role in scaling down my expectations and given me a new visual acuity.
If you want to awaken or expand yours or you child's innate curiosity check out the new series by bobbin-olive, Looking and Really Seeing.
