Orange Zest

Painting in someplace like Denver Botanic Gardens can be overwhelming and it helps to simplify the process by using a viewer and a color scheme. Firs,t use the viewer to zoom in on different areas and eliminate surrounding details. This orange flower was surrounded by hundreds of other flowers and the viewer allowed me to isolate it and decide what else to include and what to leave out to make an interesting composition. Orange and blue are complimentary colors and the small blue flowers inspired me to use a complimentary color scheme. Now, with my composition and color scheme set, I was able to start painting with confidence. I used number 8 and number 12 round watercolor brushes loaded with lots of water and paint and worked on placing the paint exactly where I wanted it. This style of direct painting is fun because it allows for dripping paint and colors mixing right on the paper. Setting the paper at a 45 degree angle also allows gravity to do some of the work with the wet paint. With the three large green leaves I made sure each one was a different size and different shape and I included some red flowers in the upper right corner as the compliment of green. Spring is getting closer and I am looking forward to painting in the gardens. Happy Painting! Dennis Pendleton