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Gouache Ink and watercolor wash Sketchbook Pages Still Life Watercolor

Just a Bowl of Fruit

Fruit bowl, ink, watercolor & gouache
Fruit bowl, ink, watercolor & gouache

It’s been such a busy week that I haven’t had  a moment for my blog until now. When my work week ended Friday afternoon it was time to prepare the studio for my watercolor class that started today. I’ve converted a second room to studio space for the duration of the class and I think everyone fit comfortably.

I feel so privileged to have such a great group of wonderful women artists in the class. And what troopers they were today, so determined to get the hang of doing flat washes, graded washes and glazing. By the end of the class everyone was doing beautiful, abundant, juicy washes.

I’d put out a couple of bowls of fresh fruit for class but nobody was hungry. So now I get to paint (and eat) all those yummy pears, apples and pomegranates.

After all the work on good paper today, I got frustrated by sketchbook paper that quickly muddies and doesn’t allow  reworking.  But I was so tired tonight it was either a quick sketch or nothing and since there’s been way too much nothing on my blog this week, here, at least, is something, as funky as it may be.

Tomorrow, rested up, I will try again on good paper.

10 replies on “Just a Bowl of Fruit”

Hi Jana: You’re right about working on sketchbook paper, but it still has zip, especially that pomegranate. That part really sings. The class sounds great, how many people in your group, and how long does the class run? (Just fellow teacher curiosity.)

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Thanks Nel, Actually I thought about how I wanted to paint the pom before I started, and liked the way it came out. Then, being super tired, I think I just started painting unconsciously and the painting ran away from me and the paper just isn’t forgiving the way Arches is.

The class really is great. There are 8 people, although one was ill and unable to attend, all with artistic backgrounds although not all have watercolor experience. There are 4 classes over a period of six weeks( to work around my last two Saturday plein air paint-outs of the season with my plein air group). I will probably offer another 4-week session in mid-January if students are interested in continuing. Jana

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This one came out nice Jana….and I especially like that you went over to the other side of the fold-out. I never remember to do that, but I like the way it looks…very painterly. You got nice vivid colors!

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Thanks Rita. I remember every now and then that I can do work across the spread. It’s easier once I get to the middle of the book and have stretched the spine enough for it to lay flat-ish. Jana

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Brava for that beautiful pomegranate, Jana. I’ve been trying to paint one for the last couple of days on Arches HP paper and was still disappointed. Decided today to try for a much looser version in a sketchbook but now I’ve seen yours I’m thinking I could just disappoint myself all over again. Maybe I should just eat it 😉

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I just painted it again, using real watercolor paper this tme. And your comment made me think: they’re so messy to eat and their juice stains everything in sight….so…I wonder if you could paint with pom juice? Wouldn’t that be fun — to paint a pomegranate using it’s juice to paint it? I’ve painted a cup of coffee using the coffee as paint. Why not the pom? But not tonight! Jana

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