Heathers and Willows - Watercolor Painting

This is a painting based on a photograph from my summer trip to Mendocino Botanical Garden. They have a beautiful Heather garden under an old willow tree that always has full blooms in summer. The photograph itself was an attempt to abstract both the subjects. I was quite happy with how the photo as well as my painting turned out.

The photograph..


The painting..


As for techniques, the background was wet wash with lifting & streaking with the brush. The foreground heather was intitally masked with some masking fluid and then finished with impressionistic strokes. Done on a 16X20 watercolor paper.

Both this painting and my previous one "Through the Cracks" are very different from my usual realisim/ semi realism style. I have entered both of them for Filoli Gardens "Expressions in color" exhibit and keeping my fingers crossed :-). I don't think I have shared all my watercolor paintings here on the blog. If interested, you can see more of my watercolors on my facebook album : Here