Finding beauty in the light

A pair of pumpkins, watercolor on Arches paper, 14 x 20 inches

Here’s a painting that sort of just materialized one afternoon. We had gone to the pumpkin patch with the kids and came home with a few pumpkins, and they soon became scattered about the house.

Two little pumpkins sat on my son’s small craft table near the window. The afternoon light streamed in, illuminating them both so beautifully. I knew I had to capture this in watercolor.

However, I didn’t want to go about it with my typical “fast and loose” approach. This was such a wonderful, quiet moment - I wanted to spend more time crafting this scene.

I painted a monochromatic underlayer to get the volume and tone just right, then glazed over thin washes of this pumpkin orange mix. This layer was basically a neutral tint (gray).

This is actually my first “realist” painting in a very long time - and I’m happy with how it turned out. I think it portrays the quiet tranquility that can be find in these small moments throughout one’s day. The soft wind rattling against the window pane, just gentle enough to hear. The pumpkins still - but glowing their lovely, unique color on the bright white table.

This one’s available for purchase if you are interested.

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