Painting Daisies Workshop Study

Before many of my larger paintings and before a class, I will do a small painting (a study) to work out the composition, value, and color palette. This is a small 5X7 study in preparation for my February Painting Daisies watercolor workshop. Visit my website for details about the workshop.

The idea for this painting topic came from a lesson taught by Nancy Oleksa in Poway, CA, though adapted for a 4 day workshop using a variation of color. My inspiration; the daisies growing on the lawn outside the Dorothy Hart Community Center in Fredericksburg this fall. I chose a spring palette using my usual pigments of Aureolin Yellow, Quin Gold, and New Gamboge, Permanent Rose, and Rose Madder Genuine. I am facing my aversion to premixed greens and also used Viridian and Winsor Green and added a lovely purple, Winsor Violet (dioxazine violet). If you want to know more about these paints, go to http://www.handprint.com/ and follow the links to guide for watercolor pigment. I use this site whenever I am researching properties of new (and usual) pigments.