All of life is interconnected….

This watercolour is all about the interconnectedness of life.

In the first frame, working on white watercolour paper and using a mix of burnt sienna, yellow ochre, and sepia watercolour I indicate the strength of an olive tree trunk which I found in the courtyard at the school in Olhao, Portugal, where I gave a workshop in April.

Like so much in life, we tend to see a tree….and think only of the tree!     Whereas everything surrounding the tree is connected to it.

In this frame I add the dark shadow at the bottom of the painting.  This shadow mirrors the darkest shadows on the tree.

Note that using a mix of yellow ochre and burnt sienna, I have made the shadow lighter on either side of the tree….this is to separate the trunk from the dark shadow areas.

Observing the whole image, I now add the dark shadow to the right of the painting.   Note how the shadow gets lighter as it reaches the top of the courtyard wall, where I have graduated the dark to a light blue.     This is caused by the reflection of the sky.

I have used the same light blue to indicate the trunk shadow thrown onto the white courtyard wall.

We now begin to see that the tree and the shadows that it produces are of equal importance…one doesn’t exist without the other.    

Again using a mix of the lighter blue and some of the stronger darks, I indicate the shadow play of leaves and branches onto the wall.

You can’t see the actual branches with leaves that are casting these shadows.     The shadow play is telling the story. 

I now add some Winsor & Newton Green Gold into the blue shadow to the left of the trunk, and at the same time add some of the same Green Gold to the top of the wall.

It’s important to always be aware of the total painting and to move colour around….which brings harmony and rhythm to the image.

All the white areas, are dry, white paper.

In the final frame, using cobalt turquoise light, I add the intense blue of the sky.    This is the same blue that I have used in the shadows.       This is because the sky reflects directly onto the wall – everything is interconnected. 

Using Green Gold, and a much darker green, I have suggested leaves.

Following on from yesterday’s blog, Time to Wake UP –

If we were to fully understood how interconnected our world is….there would be a greater understanding that the only boundaries made on this earth are made by humankind, and that when we destroy one element we destroy so much more!

The same applies in reverse…..when we bring beauty to one area of our lives, this also affects many other areas.

The Magical Hummingbird always brings beauty to it’s surroundings.

The school in Olhao, Portugal is superb.   I cannot recommend it highly enough.   I will be giving a workshop there again in April 2015….For details and further information go to http://www.artinthealgarve.com

http://www.janetweightreed.co.uk

A Bientôt