COLO RIVER

I was going through my art folder the other week looking for some drawings to put into the life drawing exhibition when I came across this watercolour that I did plein air on the Colo River trip with the girls a couple of years ago . I remember now that I was so disgusted by my first plein air attempt that I tossed it into the folder without giving it much thought and probably thought at the time that it was unredeamable ..Well as most watercolourists will tell you you must take another look at your work the next day after painting as often what can look like a disaster can look somewhat passable after the paper has tried thoroughly and the paint has done its magic work ..I got quite excited as I lifted it out of the folder to see that it wasn't half as bad as I had thought on the day of painting ..just needed a bit of tweeking and I think that now I would be happy to frame it ..Unfortunately the camera has washed out some of the colour as it is much richer in real life..darn I will master it one day ! Anyway this is a watercolour on Arches paper that I did on location at Colo River..I am pleased that I managed to capture the mystical feel of this tranquil place as the sandy river meanders through high rocky cliffs with the Casaurina trees lining the banks and creating cool breezes on a hot day..and I can tell you that after a week of being very sick with the flu it has been uplifting to revisit this place in my mind and hopefully another plein air trip in the near future