On the walk home from work I noticed this scene of a red fire hydrant surrounded by a red shrub, red leaves on the ground, red leaves on the tree, and brick red in the background. I did the hydrant with pyrol red (PR254) and benzi scarlet (PR175) for the shadows, while the shrub was benzi scarlet and daubs of the other red paints. The brick wall was burnt ochre (PR102) and the leaves on the ground were a blend of the pyrol red and burnt ochre. It was fun to flex the red paints a little more than usual, since the fall so far has been mostly brown and dark yellow. When I compose scenes on location I usually avoid centering the focal point, preferring to off set the 'center of interest'. After studying some Maud Lewis paintings on line, I saw that she would often place her focal point in the center, like cats or sleds or people. So I started this painting with the red fire hydrant smack in the middle, and painted it with a few simple, joyous brush strokes. The rest of the scene unfolded around it, and provided a great harmony between five different reds.
Five Reds, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, October 2023 (No. 3577)
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