I've already painted and sold three other versions of this setting. The location is our front porch where we enjoy spending long evenings watching the sky go from blue to pinks to deep violet. Late summer is that time when all the hard work in the garden is paying off and it's finally time to enjoy the fruits of our labors. The street in front of our house is narrow and is often used by runners, young families pushing strollers and friendly neighbors out for a walk.
I used reference photos I already had on file to create a composition, and then a full sized 11x14 inch sketch which I transferred to heavy watercolor paper. Then I stapled the paper to gator board and masked out the areas I wanted to remain white.
After gently wetting down the whole thing I floated primary colors over the scene and let it dry.
I added another layer of colors after masking out another section and let it dry again.
Then I got so involved in my work that I forgot to take more photos. So this is the final which I've put up for sale at Watercolors by Leenie. I like this one a lot. It will be hard to let it go, but I guess I can always make more.
