Autumn is so . . . crisp. The air is crisp, the leaves underfoot are crisp, and the colors that are emerging stand out crisply from the dark green of the deciduous trees and the slate grey sky. I love it. Everywhere you look there is a painting waiting to happen. The trees are on fire, and the sky is a perfect backdrop. Gorgeous. I've been out snapping pictures.

Doesn't this just make you want to grab your brush and paint?
Doesn't it make you marvel at the incredible variety of color in the world?
Click on the image to enlarge.
And there are a few more to inspire you below.
Grab your brush and paint one!

I've been researching art marketing. My poor little right-oriented brain! The great thing is that there is so much information online that is free for the asking, it makes it a little easier. I am in the process of gathering information, getting all the free directory links I can, punching up my website to contain 'searchable' content, and researching the trends of art buyers. Some information is great! Some information is so-so. And, I will admit, some information is disheartening. But I will persevere! I know that nothing happens overnight, and it is persistence and determination, along with talent, that will get me where I want to be. I will be adding links to sites that have good information for online art sellers, so check that out every now and then to see if there is something there for you. And if I come across something really exciting, I'll mention it here. In the meantime, I'm off I go to work on my proposal for a crowdfunding site. (More on that soon!)

Painting with watercolor (or watercolour, depending on your preference), is like dancing. Like dancing with a different partner every time. You have to watch carefully to see which way it’s going to lead you, what the next step should be, and if anyone else on the dance floor is going to crash into you. Sometimes you trip up, but when you become an observant dancer . . . I mean painter . . . you can see things coming and gracefully spin it in your favor. Watercolor, like dancing, is all about timing, technique and practice. I have been painting pretty steady for the past 5 years, and I still approach each painting with a certain amount of respectful trepidation. I always hope that my new partner is dancing to the same song I am, and we can finish the dance with a graceful flourish.

Here is an example of a happy accident, painted in my second year of the watercolor dance. The brush, loaded with Alizarin Crimson, flipped inexplicably out of my fingers, and splatted a big ol’ spatter of paint on the white paper. Now, you know crimson isn’t going to be wiped off. So there it was. Cherry juice. I added a few more splats of juice, and carried on.

The sun shining though leaves. I don’t think there is a more beautiful way to view nature. In the spring, the leaves are small and that delicious green we only see when new things are just starting to grow. The sun shining through spring leaves is bright and fresh and vigorous and makes our hearts sing. In summer, when leaves are fuller and darker, the spangled shade they provide is a blessing, and the sun through the leaves is backed by a deep blue sky - one of the many stunning colors of summer. And in the fall . . . oh what wondrous colors and splashes of light filter down - gold and red and yellow and green and blue sparked to life by the sunshine filtering through. If we could bottle it, it would smell like joy, feel like light, taste like truth, and sound like love.