Waves Above the Wheat watercolour painting

Thought you'd like to see the outcome of my "fabulous skies" painting that I started earlier this week. It's rare for me to complete a painting I'm happy with on the first go-round. It makes the times that it does happen all the sweeter. Sometimes, when I pick up my brush, I just know that this time will be magical - everything will flow, I will paint with confidence, and I will know what to do. Did I mention this is rare?

It's important when you're painting in this kind of free, loose, style, not to overwork. I have learned that less is more, and if you start "fussing" with adding colour and brushstrokes when you're not sure what to do next, that's the fastest way to ruin a painting. Sometimes you just need 2 minutes of painting, and then twenty minutes of waiting, thinking, resting.

When I was finished, I had filled a full sheet of watercolour paper with gorgeous colour and some truly billowing clouds. I am debating whether to crop the finished painting (see above), or keep it as is below. I'm leaning toward the crop just because I think the cloud is pretty dead centre of the painting in the uncropped painting.