Video Demonstration: Wild Roses in Watercolor

My daughters have been away at camp all week, and so during the day I have my son's undivided attention. He's just turned seven, and he's full of energy. He's talked my ear off all week and I've learned all kinds of things about his favourite video games, go-karts, and his plans for the camping trip he and his dad just left on. I'm so thankful he gets to spend some quality time in the bush with his dad, grandpa, uncle and cousins this weekend, and I have six whole hours to myself before I pick up my girls from camp! During the week, Wes and I went berry picking. We love strawberries, and our little patch at home has never thrived. The nearest "u-pick" strawberry patch is over an hour away, on the banks of the Peace River in Dunvegan, Alberta. It's a beautiful site, and after we filled our pails, we wandered the grounds of the garden and enjoyed some well-deserved ice cream. I would love to paint on location there, but seven-year-old attention span was worn out by the berry excursion, so I settled for grabbing a few reference photos.

I am very inspired by the blue shadows on these pristine white peonies!

I recently finished a painting that's all about the wild roses that we love so much here in the north. I clipped  a sprig from the edge of our driveway and brought it into the studio to paint. It smelled so wonderful!

I videotaped my process and uploaded it to Youtube today. I spend a bit of time at the beginning explaining my techniques, and then fade to music as I get absorbed in painting and forget to talk to my audience. Painting like this is very energizing and intuitive, and I am so thankful for the years I spent struggling to develop technique and grow comfortable with the medium of watercolour. With that work done, I can throw myself into painting from my heart, and it's rewarding on so many levels.

Enjoy the video!