watercolor discovery

I was inspired by this flower bouquet from the weekend ...

... when I sat down to paint it though, 

I was tripped up by my usual approach of painting shapes 

that interlock and connect without overlapping.

It just wasn't working with this many petals.

I went back in my brain to high school art class:

"paint from light to dark"

"paint from back to front"

"utilize the water for transparency"

mid-stream on the first flower,

my hands caught up with my brain.

And frustration fled as the flowers came alive.

Even though the shapes all overlap and intersect each other,

it somehow works.

The transparency gives the effect of light and shadow.

watercolor discovery