Prairie Dawn
Upon a recent move from Eastern Canada to the prairie provinces, I have discovered the beauty of poplar trees and the marvelous ability to play with color and value on these giants of the prairies.
This scene has been painted like a poured watercolor piece by adding layer upon layer of masking fluid moving from the lightest value to the blackest black using the sharpened end of a wooden chop stick and the end of a straightened paper clip to apply the thick masking fluid. Unlike a traditional poured watercolor, I have carefully determined where the colors will go rather than the random approach used when pouring watercolor. The two most important layers in this approach are the initial white and final black layers.
The appeal to this approach, for me, comes in the random character of the line work in the twigs and branches and the lacy foliage in the distant forests.