In my class, we did a painting based on a photo that Ron took in New Orleans of a musician playing a clarinet in a doorway. Ron says his playing was really good, but I guess that doesn't have much to do with the painting. Most of the class cringed when they saw what our subject was going to be. We all have something of a block when it comes to painting people. Besides, I knew that I often have trouble with dark colors, so a black man was even more challenging. I did have a few problems with it but I think it came out OK.
After that, we worked on a scene from another of Ron's photos. This one was the view from Nepenthe, a restaurant on the Big Sur coast. Maureen and I usually make a stop there whenever we are in the area, so I am familiar with the view. I finished the painting in class this morning and sat for a while adding little bits here and there, but then decided that it would be best to leave it be. It seems that one can always see places in a painting where more could be done, but more is not necessarily better. One of the things that I like about watercolor is that it can show a lot of freshness and simplicity that can be lost by spending too much time on it.
