Fall, sort of

With a bleak weather forecast of rain and more rain, I set out by foot to Benny Park where there is a sports complex and baseball field. This tree was changing colours, part of it was orange, part was a yellowish green. I used the pyrol orange (PO73) in the tree, mixed with orange (PO62), yellow (PY154) and green (PG36). The dark areas are perylene green (PBk31). I had to paint fast because the rain was just starting.

Changing Leaves Benny Park, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3571a)

A tree starting growing a few years ago, it started out as a small shoot and now it is almost at the top of the old bank building. You can see it towards the bottom right of the painting. The clouds were done with indo blue (PB60) and pyrol orange (PO73). Sold as Winsor Orange Red Shade, the paint has a coral/salmon tint when diluted. When mixed with blue it gives a neutral violet that is perfect for cloud shadows. To paint clouds I apply a thin wash of yellow ochre (PY43), then dab in the shadows and surrounding blue sky as it dries.

Insistent Tree Cloudy Day, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3563b)

On the corner of Cavendish and Somerled there is a food bank, ironically located in an old bank. They set up some growing troughs in the front, which had bunches of small sunflowers growing all summer. Now they are brown and wilted, and the leaves were a black-brown colour. I painted the background first using thin pale washes, then painted the sunflower scene over top. It started to rain again and the painting blurred a little but I managed to finish it and get home before the deluge.

Last of the Sunflowers, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3571b)