Dahlias in Aquarelle

 Catherine has not been for a while (5 years?😝) - but as you can see she still has what it takes.

Not yet finished - but already exciting, her wavy pink dahlia!

As a first subject after the holidays, the Aquarellistas worked on Dahlias. A strong,colourful flower with a shape that is recognisable, yet varies from an almost mathematical regularity to a spontaneous, waving lightness. We had so much choice - everyone picked the dahlia that appealed most - and the interpretations and results are awesome! Here are my remarks - we had no time to do them 'live' as there was a board meeting right after our session...

 This amazing watercolour was created by Michele C. I am impressed - it is both technical and poetic. Looking forward to seeing it finished!

 Another really good representation, by Isabel! She was so good at the Zen tangle stuff that I completely forgot she is still in the starters program - and she did it again! Big Hurray!

Again a completely different style, this one is painted by Liz. Loosely and spontaneous as always, I love it! Not finished, there is still a bit of masking fluid on it but can't go wrong if you ask me!

So gorgeous, Judith's purplish dahlia... A cross between the zen-tangle regular ones and the super spontaneous. Amazing effect of the granulating ultramarine that 'pushes away' the crimson leaving a beautiful red line... She was having fun here and even more with the second, just playing with colours and the natral flow and mix of aquarelle:

Michele F painted a wild Dahlia - that needs a darker background to show it better. Below a simple photo montage to show what it would look like. Just a little change, so much effect

 

Helene finished her yellow Dahlia and she balanced the brownish orange and the green, the light and the shadow, into a perfect, delicate flower with a lot of volume. I love it. Well done!

Jutta's dahlia not yet finished - yet very promising. She used a spontaneous wet-in-wet technique, combined with a more defined shape here and there. Can't wait to see it finished!

This lovely light pink dahlia was drawn so very well by Marie-Claire and the first wash worked out too. Looking very lovely already. Now the challenge to insert the darker pink shapes and maybe a background. I am confident that it will be stunning when finished...

And this last stunning creation is from Sylvie (who else?!). Still needs some work, but not too much. Great idea to do a detail! Love it!

 Of course 'my' subjects are only suggestions, Aquarellistas who want to paint their own subjects are also very welcome - and most of the time they are very inspiring! Here are some of the other creations of our two sessions (Tuesday and Thursdau 2 -- 4.30pm)

Glen fully particiated in the flower thing but dahlias are not her cup of tea/piece of cake, so she decided on daffodils. How Springy and lively they are, well done!

Sandra also created 'other flowers', namely tulips - and it is such a fantastic start, generous and strong and daring colour-wise. Same for the painting below (click on it to see the details) full of the depth and watercolour surprises that you don't see in any other medium...

Maud worked on a distinguished building in Grasse. With a lot of windows, not easy at all in a loose style, but she bravely did it anyway and it is beginning to look good!

Not even finished, but everybody drooled over this sweet dog, with a lot of expression and character.that Cathie is working on. Awesome eyes and love that fur, done in such a delicate way (with the three-hair brush)

 I laugh every time I see Carol's dog-painting. He looks like how I imagine Marmaduke. The background has a colour (green) but that doesn't come out very well on the photo. The duck below, also by Carol, is a strong little guy! Love the picture, love the way he balances his feet - and it definitely tells a story.

Hélène's abstract is a little bit less abstract but even more colourful. If you want to know what it is, read on - or else skip it and let your imagination work...

It is a rope in the water -- with high waves and sunshine, reflection and foam

And last but by no means least, these gorgeous and sexy red ballet shoes by Sylvie M. I love the satin glow and want to see more of that next week - plus maybe a bit of reflection!