Flame Azalea

"Flame Azaleas grow wild on the grassy balds of some of the mountains near me, in the Cherokee National Forest of SE Tennessee. I photographed this beauty, with its luscious orange tones. It was done as a prelude to "Honeysuckle," starting small to test some new methods.

I began by letting the watercolors randomly mingle and mix on a small Aquabord™ panel, spattering with color and with clear water to create interesting texture on the surface. I wasn't totally concerned with replicating the true colors from my reference photo, instead relying upon values to create the flower cluster. From the initial color application I added and subtracted paint, using the same hues which were already in place."