The West , where landscape becomes a feeling.

"The West," 8 x 10ish #watercolor, 300 lb. d'Arches cold press paper

The West always beckons me...land of dramatic landscapes and colors, of vast and vibrant skies, of moods and memories.
Thus today's watercolor...painting what I feel, not what I see., from traveling New Mexico and beyond.

Paint what you feel, not see

"Autumn," 6 1/2 by 8, #watercolor, 140 lb. d'Arches cold press paper

Maple trees in the autumn. What a sight, but don't try to paint them. You can only approach the colors, and details, and can quickly fail at what you "see."
What do I feel when I view them? What "art word" should I be painting?
"Autumn." That's how I feel when I see them. Yes, autumn is a feeling, an emotion, memories, sensations, more than just a drab noun.
So, today's watercolor.

What did I do this week? Inspiration

@ScottWilliams with my twitter for media students at UCO-MassComm department

See my blog post for my twitter for media class (click here: #clarkclass ) for the story and comments on our first speaker, the dynamic, inspirational Scott Williams.
Retired? Yes, but too much fun to pass up another chance, #clarkclass 12.0 now at the Mass Comm Department at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Colors, "Renaissance"

"The Colors of Renaissance," 10" x 14" watercolor, 140 lb. d'Arches cold press paper

"Renaissance." Much is made of that word in OKC these recent years, as the city has emerged from the doldrums of mediocrity. It is perhaps overused, a little snobby, and blind to the poverty and social diseases infecting the rest of Oklahoma.
But there has been a rebirth of energy and spirit, to where OKC has almost become a city state.
One symbol looms over everything, including the skyline--the Devon tower. It is a constant subject of paintings and photographs.
I guess I had to join the crowd, but was stymied by the need to be somewhat original. It's finally come together in this painting, my first in over a month, as is this post on my blog.
During that time I've been digesting a creative-bending watercolor workshop, trying to meld what I learned with my painting abilities. 
The painting grew in stages. First, I noticed there were not northerly views of the skyline, something I see silhouetted when I drive south of Broadway Extension. Then I had to experiment with photography and composition. Then with color, and failed attempts. Eventually, the skyline and colors came together, but it sat for more days till I fit the sky to the feeling of the rest of the subject.
So this is also a renaissance of watercolor for me, though there is much more to learn and try and fail and succeed.
Thus, "The Colors of Renaissance," which is not architecturally accurate,  not constrained by chamber of commerce sugar sweet PR demands, and hints at the darkness we all know is still there.