This week I tried to paint a watercolor of Hammer Slough in Petersburg, AK. It’s a picturesque scene, with rustic warehouses on pilings built over the tidewater slough, with a background of dark spruce trees. I made a value study in grays, then I made four attempts in color. I’m afraid none of them are satisfactory. Lesson learned? I really don’t have the skills to paint reflections on a tide flat yet. I’ll keep trying because this is such a classic scene to paint. But right now I think I’ll give it a rest. Watercolor painting is hard!
I’ve shown the value study first, then the four attempts with the earliest attempt first.
Each example has its strengths and beauty. A study of light.