Finished – Unfinished
I found this Jack-in-the- Pulpit at the edge of our woods a week ago but it didn’t make last week’s Fall Collection. With its bright red berries and arcing leaf, it deserved its own page. Still, its three faded leaflets paled in comparison with the fruit, so I decided to let the berries get the attention. Finished? Unfinished? I think finished, especially after the moth showed up on our porch ceiling and made its way onto the page.
Tips and Techniques– Decision, decisions! Right from the start of every piece, you are making decisions that affect its outcome. Embrace them. Bring your creativity to bear on the subject, composition, and materials to express what you see and what interests you.
p.s. I’ll be taking the next two weeks off of posting as I’m heading to Castello di Petroia in the heart of Italy later this week to teach Sketching the Nature of Italy in Watercolor. I hope to have some good things to share upon my return.
Registration is open for COLLECTING NATURE IN YOUR SKETCHBOOK (online), Thursdays, October 19, November 2, 9, 30 through Winslow Art Center. This is a series and you can sample one or two sessions or sign up for all four at a discounted rate.
Drawn In 
So lovely. How do you leave the white space on the berry? So neatly done. I recently tried to use wax resist for a waterfall which worked well but the edges were not sharp.
I just paint around those white spots. Small brush or a brush with a very good point works well.
Hi Jean, personally, I like this the way it is-the pale leaves are nestled between the beautiful berries and the moth. Have a safe trip to Italy, look forward to seeing the work you do there!
Thanks Denise– I’m nearly ready to fly. Checking things off the list today.
Perfect! Any more detail or color to the leaf would refocus the viewers eye away from the ripe berries, unresistantly dropping the gaze down to the moth. But with the addition of the moth I am conflicted ….. the leaf and petiole function as a two-way bridge, linking both the berries and moth in a never ending viewing loop (loupe??!)! Clever Jean! And I love your botanical specimen “chop!” Have a marvelous time in Italy!
I liked it without the moth too. But, there it is. I plan to use the new oval design for future pages, too. It’s based on a stamp used in the late 1800s by the U.S. National Herbarium.
I love everything about this, including the herbarium-style stamp!
I love your “Unfinished” and the lovely moth and fancy tag. Have a wonderful trip it sounds lovely and such a beautiful time of the year. See you upon your return!
Thanks Georgia. Wish you were coming along to Italy! I’m looking forward to having an “in person” workshop. But I’ll enjoy being online again, too, when I return. See you soon!
Buon Viaggio!
Grazie! I hope my very little knowledge of Italian comes back to me!
Agreed. I love the combination of full and empty, colored and not colored. It makes the whole composition even livelier.