Magical Mists: Monday Watercolors

Posted bydebirileyPosted inart, inspiration, painting, watercolorsTags:, , , , , ,
watercolor contemporary landscape, cobalt teal blue pg50, abstract watercolor landscape, debiriley.com

Monday morning. ‘Magical Mists’  rise from the shoreline thinning to veils of vapor.  With a mere blink, a flicker of an eye and they have vanished. Watercolor’s Cobalt teal blue teases, upon water and sky.  While the peach tinted umber settles deep into the paper’s tangled textures.

magical mists, watercolor painting, cobalt teal, debiriley.com
Magical Mists watercolors

 

Magical Mists, Watercolors

 

This delightfully colored and textured abstract watercolor seemingly creates the mists by magic!

 

 

 

Material Used

Cold Press Watercolor paper

Molding paste 

Cobalt Teal Blue pg50   

Cobalt Violet  

Burnt Umber  

Skewer 

Rekab 320s  Watercolor brush  size #2

 

 

 

Watercolor Painting Process and Techniques

The Fun Part!!  Molding paste!

I prepared the watercolor paper by slathering on molding paste using a palette knife and then let it dry for about 8 hours. I did several at time, so I could be ‘choosy’ and pick the one I liked best.

 

Next,  debating,  what colors to use.

Its kind of like choosing which outfit to wear out to dinner! What fun!    I chose a limited palette in cool colors:   cobalt teal blue, cobalt violet,  burnt umber.

 

 

Music played.

The tempo was soothing but not slow. Not rough, nor jarring.

 

I applied the cobalt teal first on Dampened paper.

Then,  while all was still damp and movable, added cobalt violet next, last was the burnt umber in a Darker tone.  That had to be quite dark in order for there to be Depth in the scene.   As it is,  I can see Light, Mid, and Dark tones…. so all is good there.

 

Last, while still on the damp side – I grabbed a Skewer.  Using the skewer like a little fragile drawing stick, created curving, twisting, leaning trunks and branches.

Just,  not too many.  For this scene to work out,  Less IS More.

 

 

 

Inspired by  these!

I often wonder,  “WHAT, makes the artist tick?

What prompted this response from the artist?  Why did they choose that color?  That texture?   What was their day like?  What was their life like?  What books had they been reading?  Do they enjoy strolling out in the forest?”

Do you wonder these things?

 

Its because I want to know the artist.  To try to sense just a little of what they were feeling in order to understand their method of expressing their voice more fully.

 

My Inspirations for the Magical Mists of Watercolor  can be summed up in these:  color, mood, expression, walking outdoors.

 

 

*I want to make the viewer   feel  something.

 

magical mists, watercolor painting, cobalt teal, debiriley.com
Magical Mists watercolors

 

Stranger to Blue Water

dark and dusty

painted on the sky

misty taste of moonshine

teardrop in my eye

 

 

 

 

My musical  inspiration –   “Take Me Home”   – John Denver

 

As I write the post, its Sunday evening.

We’ve just gotten back from a lovely Scandinavian restaurant, where we celebrated a lovely anniversary.

The lone musician played. And as we left, he heard my request……….. and sang,  “stranger to blue water, dark and dusty, painted on the sky, …… country roads, take me home.”

 

 

More Inspirations

I was also inspired by my recent Violet purple creation. I wanted to now reverse the intensity, to desaturate.

To try an attempt at subduing and desaturating bright bold color,  ie  the  purple in   Vibrant Violet to see how I could manage it.  Can I?  Did I?

vibrant violet watercolor, painting, debiriley.com
Vibrant Violet

 

I was inspired to try to create a sense of delicacy and Gentleness.

A sense of ephemeral, of floating and mists upon the water.

cropped-img_4304.jpg

 

 

Then, I was inspired by the massive web like weaving of foliage I’d experienced –

the tangles and patterns of foliage seen on my most recent Dry Bushland walk.

watercolor foliage tangles in mist, debiriley.com
Bushland Tangles
misted tangles watercolor, photo, debiriley.com
Foliage Misted Tangles

 

Was Magical Mists a REAL  ‘touchable’ place? Done on location?

No.

Does the beauty, truth and value of a thing,  diminish  if it is intangible?

 

 

Conclusion

What has been the most important element here for you?  I’d love to know.

The specific materials I have used?

The specific steps and processes I went through?

Or is it what drove and motivated me to create this specific, one off,  piece of art work?

 

 

 

This was one of my most favorite posts to create.

Not just painting the art image, or taking the photos out in the bushland;  but the entire and long….process of this post was extremely enjoyable.

 

And I would LOVE it,   if  you shared it and spread it around in your  ‘social networking’ travels.

My Appreciation. Thanks!  Debi

 

 

 

Published by debiriley

The act of creation, in any media is a fascinating and magical process. I simply love to create. Expressing in color, line, tone, texture - as if, they were words upon a page. Creating a uniquely me, interpretation. Enjoy More of my "one-of-a-kind" expressive art at society6.com/debiriley and, redbubble.com/people/debijriley/shop

41 thoughts on “Magical Mists: Monday Watercolors”

    1. thanks! its good to get some input.
      to know if, overall readers prefer – Step 1 is x Step 2 is… Step 3,
      OR prefer to hear motivations/inspirations!!

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Interesting….I have to let you know something; I actually felt calm and serene while reading your post. The writing, the format and of course your paintings and photos worked together. To date Mystical Mists is my favorite of your paintings. Of course I am not being fair because I haven’t gone back and looked at them all. But for the moment in time, it is my favorite. For me the element that I feel was what drove you and motivated you, my mind and spirit to hand. You brought up something that resounded within me. Plein air is suppose to evoke feeling and freshness of a certain”there”. I think that you were able to tap into what plein air does capture in how you approached your materials and subject. Truly love your posts! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Margaret, thank you so much for your thoughts and response!
      gathering information on readers’ preferences, is important to me. I don’t want to just blog to spout.lol. but to be of use. I value your comment as a fellow ‘bush walker-artist’!! thank you. Debi

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Oh Debi – I just showed this to my son, and said, look at this painting! This is one of my favorite artists. Isn’t this amazing? He asked if it was one of my favorites. I said Yes. I love everything about it. How it turned out, what inspired you, the thought you put into it. But most, it just touches me. It speaks to me. I realize how hard it is to do that and what a gift you have for it. SWOOOOOOOOOOONNNING my friend – on your favorite post and mine too!!!!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. thank you so much Jodi!
      how lovely to also know its a fav of yours & you shared it too (Jodi) … so inspiring!
      I was just thinking, an upcoming post might… be just a Survey Post! just to get readers wants.
      preferred information. do I really know, if you guys want ‘just the Steps?’ nothing else?
      what difference it makes to the post, by including the Inspiration sources? hmm. Inquiring minds, you know! LOL

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Oh please include the steps. So important. When I love it. It want to know how you did it. That is sooooo helpful and so generous of you.

        Liked by 2 people

    1. thanks Cynthia!
      so far, it seems more are wanting the steps 1, 2,3,4,5 processes more than the inspirations or other driving factors. Its great to get this type of reader insight!

      Liked by 1 person

  14. I pressed send too fast. One of these days I will try some of your techniques. I meet monthly with some artist friends to work on projects and I’m going to suggest we take a class from you ! Thank you Debi for taking the time to share your vast knowledge of the many ways to explore painting.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Beautiful blue.. This is a very pretty painting, mystical and delicate … (Beyond words Debi..) a Place..
    Gentle, but I see and feel the depth ( the low tone deep) ??.. The dark of my low key notes with the …dancing of the above Eighth notes fluttering up and down .. ( 🎶 lyrical .. YES, but the skewering of the tree and branches being the steady tempo flow… A musical/ Work is being Born) … Unheard in these comments , none the less flowing ( I hope that makes sense?) .. An Awkward pause, silence… (For months now just listening to the sounds,rythmns, and musicality of Colour) .. I know, Impossible to convey.. Georgia O’ Keefe ( haunts me) .. Her life story was so similar in a documentary I happened to see.. They said that when she listened to MUSIC .. it caused her to be able to Paint.. ) .. Sensuria.. They called it. !!.. My point is this..I learn so much ABOUT the people and places you Point to.. in your Work !!…( HISTORY, Georgraphy, other Artists— Yourself , Philosophy!!… ) ..Forgive my lengthy QUIET Burst.. Of Words… 🎈.. I am not trained enough to be an ART CRITIC ( 😊.. ) .. just a Novice ..really…” You Would Not believe the questions that run thru My mind… Debi.. ( .. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ) .. Posting Now ..

    Liked by 1 person

    1. what a Delightful, thought filled response Joanne; Thank you for your time.
      music does play a role in so many Artists’ inspired creations! Art, is more than the ‘recipe’ and as with music – if it doesn’t make you Feel – its missed its mark.
      you do have a deep awareness of these and more!! muy gracias, Debi

      Liked by 1 person

  18. Hi, and once again THANK YOU! I’m trying to find the Rekab 320s brush with no success. I live in
    Virginia, USA – do you know of a source that will mail to me? Thanks!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you! I will try the place in New Jersey, and if it doesn’t work, perhaps my local art supply store might be interested in making a bigger purchase, and then I could buy one from them.
        Your work is always so inspiring!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. thank you! there are other squirrel mops, Isabey, Winsor Newton, etc. they’re close….. but, I can not, get them to do What The Rekab does! 🙂

        Like

  19. I can see why you love this post so much, because I do too. It says so much about you and your wonderful artist’s soul. I love the sense of being on a journey of exploration in which anything could happen and everything is possible. It ‘s inspiring stuff as always…and of course warmest wishes on your anniversary.
    p.s. did you like the little camellia’s in my post. I was thinking of you when I added them 🙂

    Like

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