As we move closer to the Winter Solstice, the sun drops as though someone hit a light switch: one minute we are in the sunset’s golden glow; the next – it’s dark! When I first moved to Obstruction Island in late November of 1992, I was still learning how quickly the bright day switched to black night.
Bad Boat on a Good Day
It was a cool November day, bright and sunny. I was off to town and taking Bad Boat. The tide was swinging hard and the current was running fast as I crossed to the county dock on the Orcas side. I came into the dock, making a U to get my starboard fenders against the dock. The current was trying to sweep the boat backwards and under the approach ramp.
There are fewer than 10 commandments in watercolor. One of the most important is the answer to the question, “How much water?”
You need to always be asking yourself, “How wet is my paper? And with that amount of wet, how much water and how much pigment should I be using?”