Sara's!

When I first saw Sara's living room, the homeyness, colors, and light were beautiful!  It looked like a painting I needed to do.  I took a photo in the hope that I would actually try a painting.  Over a year later I tried this gouache piece, my first interior.  With the sunlight pouring in the two windows, my photo was overexposed, washing out the light details.  As I painted, I kind of liked the blown-out highlights.  I might have tried adding too much detail in the drapes and windows.  I also thought about the idea of actually painting this in person, sitting in Sara's living room.  It would be much harder for me.  With the photo, everything was already flattened for me into two dimensions!  Of course this would be true with painting outdoors as well.  But for me it's the opposite, preferring painting en plein air over a photo of the scene.  I loved painting this and would like to try more interiors.

4 x 6" Gouache

... For Sara ...

Homework~

But it was watercolor homework so it was challenging while being fun to try as well!  Vinita Pappas has started a new online watercolor class.  Besides watercolor instruction she is also including other topics in her posts so it will be exciting.  One of the monthly topics is art marketing which I haven't yet tried and need to find out about.  This blog is a start in that direction.  

Vinita posts a monthly challenge, and also a demo video which we can attempt to follow as well.  The November painting challenge was titled "Through the Window".  Our piece could be literal or interpretive, hopefully revealing a little of the artist's personality.  I wanted to do a painting that showed some inside elements as well as an outside view.  Below is my piece, looking out one of our windows and across the street.  

Vinita's demo video was of her painting of the famous Pike Place Market in Seattle, WA.  I really had fun with this challenging piece.  The photo reference was of some backlit figures, fish cases and counters, signs, and lighting.  A complicated scene so I was nervous to try it since I hadn't painted any interior views like this before.  It went well and I like the result below.  I hope I can visit this market someday.