Lattice Gate and Stone Walk (Painting as of August 8)

Lattice Gate and Stone Walk (Painting as of August 8)
Originally uploaded by randubnick

Today I worked some more on the watercolor from last week's plein air workshop in Concord, NH. I liked the composition well enough that I am planning to do an oil bar painting from the reference photo. But meanwhile, I decided to return to the watercolor today and work on some of the problems that were bothering me. So I got out my travel watercolor set, and straightened out the lines of the fence, using a piece of cardboard as a straight-edge/T-square. Then I straightened and defined the lines of the lattice, having decided that if I wasn't happy with the lattice, I would never be happy with the painting. Then I worked on some of the spatial relationships that I wanted to fix (for example, the spatial relationship of the fence and the shrub in front of it). I worked from the painting itself, and not the reference photo, because I knew that to really make this painting look like the photo, I would have to start over, given the unforgiving quality of watercolor. So I will save all that for the oil bar painting. After working on this little watercolor today, I am happier with it. But there are still a few things I would like to fix. To be continued. . . .