The roses at the Botanical Gardens are in full fabulous bloom and I've been wanting to go and spend some time with them and my watercolours all week. Today at last I went and found a lovely spot under a low hanging tree and happily splattered away. I must have blended well into the foliage, at least three wedding parties walked past and nobody seemed to spot me, even when I tried sketching one of the couples as they came down the steps in front of me.
I jotted down notes as I sketched:
'A wedding party nearby... a child laughing as if it's sides would split...
water splashing in fountains. Talking laughing getting louder
then just the fountains. Far away voices and thunder...
tiniest insects that bite like pinpricks... rose smells rose smells.'
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24 comments:
Just lovly as always. Sure wish you had classes on art journaling. Just love the way you paint your pages. Learning on your own is hard. But having blogs like yours Just thank you so.
L
Nicely done and love the bride's dress :) How fun, watercolor sketching the wedding party without being seen.
Priceless! I love the flowers, but the wedding is fantastic!! Whites are always a challenge, but this is wonderful.
Hello Linda (I think that's you!?) - it's very rewarding to know that what I do is so appreciated, and encourages you I hope, to keep on with your own painting/journalling/sketching journey.
Thanks Rhonda - I often wish I could just be invisible when I sketch, so that was a bit like it!
Thank you Claire - I simply left most of the whites, white, with a bit of cerulean in the folds that some burnt sienna serendipitously bled into. I've struggled with whites before!
Brilliant capture of the wedding party, Cathy. Since I have admired your roses elsewhere, I'd have missed this delightful little watercolour except for Martin's comment.
Lovely, lovely sketches!! You have the knoack to (re?)create an atmosphere! Thanks for sharing!
beautiful post, Cathy love your colorful watercolors
Lovely roses, I can smell their fragrance from here. So nice that you are going into summer. We are going into winter and it's already getting colder and windier.
The brides and groom that you did are really spectacular. I love how you did the dresses.
I find these sketches great Cathy, especially the bright sketch of the wedding couple. The white of the brides cloth is shining in the sunlight!
These capture sunshine happiness and the smell of roses.
I so, so love the rose watercolour. How big is it?
It reminds me of the Joseph Raphael Luxembourg Gardens w'c s I had on a calender years ago,but regretfully lost.
Do a big one?
XX
Robyn, thanks so much - it's a surprise to get so many nice comments about a sketch I almost delegated to the scrapheap!
Hi Cathy and Isabel - thank you!
Thanks Carol, hope your winter isn't too drastic...I am very happy to be entering summer!
Hello Martin - I'm honoured at your kind comment, coming from a sketching master!
Hi Vivienne! Welcome back from your travels - it's in my medium-sized moleskine watercolour sketchbook, about 200x130mm...hmm, maybe a big one would be nice to do - if I can stay loose!
GoodMorning Carol, Thank you so for the reply. I will follow your blog to learn things but to enjoy the adventures from your work. What is it like to be living in South Africa? well just following your journal pages I can just imagine.
Have a great day Carol and will look forward to new pages soon.
Linda
Hi Cathy, I was up in your part of the world for a wedding! this weekend. Everything is looking so beautiful and colourful up there with the jacarandas and bougainvillea providing such a display. Your sketch is a beautiful reminder of how lovely Johannesburg can be in Spring.
Hi Liz - obviously 'tis the season for weddings! Sometimes you have to search for the beauty in Joburg, but easy to find right now - we should go sketching if you're back this way again!
I love the wedding paintings and your flowers are to die for. I want to come paint with you. Maybe in our life time there will be computers that will transport.
I love your wedding sketch! It is great. The roses are wonderful too. Your work is very inspiring.
~Dana
All of your sketches are always wonderful but I'm in love with the wedding party... great image with such a few strokes.
This is utterly joyous! And beautiful to boot. LOVE the figure sketches in the wedding. Thank you!
Hi Cath - mmmm, roses - the scent! And beautiful splashes of colour in your garden and into your sketch book. The weddings are so lovely too. I agree with V - do a BIG rosey one!
beautiful sketches and words here. Love the wedding party. Just beautiful.
Thanks for stopping by my blog from waaaaaayyy over there in Johannesburg.
Such colorful, happy paintings! I so love the light, vibrant quality to your paintings.
Seems strange that we are turning grayer and more wintry by the week... and I when I visit your blog it's summer all over again!
Beautiful sketches and you notes sound like a poem! You should send the happy couple the sketch(or a copy!)
Ronell
What a beautiful post - I especially love the way you've handed the wedding party.
I love your work! These are so beautifully done and you're so good with negative painting. Rose gardens are so challenging to paint with all the various colors and mottled light but you make it look easy.
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