![IMG_0816.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/23u6DmJcGUCmJFetLhMJSHm9P6pcYXniDWf6aoWa3BJXW8dTx6KEP96fDBKyjPepke4bo.jpeg) ### So I held true to my New Years thoughts and ambitions .. **And finally finished one of those watercolor paintings..** That had been sitting unfinished for far too long. I wish I could say it felt completely satisfying, but the truth is I do not really like how it turned out. Maybe I rushed it or maybe I am just rusty, but what I envisioned as loose and fluid ended up feeling tight and full of hard lines. The more I looked at it, the more it felt very very novice, and I found myself wondering if I was being overly critical or simply honest with myself. *It's sitting at the top left hand corner - Unfinished sunrise watercolor painting* ![IMG_0770.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/EoEsVNShA8JFaFikoRigDuM8CFdtTSbQXmi9UwDrCD3NKKsZ1ub7vam25YEDpDKvYFr.jpeg) **At the very end, while taking the final photo and signing the piece..** I actually laughed and thought to myself this is probably why you left it unfinished in the first place. Still, despite all of those thoughts, I do feel accomplished. The goal was to create something, and that happened, even if my personal critiques are louder than I would like them to be. Sometimes the act of finishing is the real victory. --- #### 'Sunrise Over The Marsh' #### 4.5" X 7.5" - Watercolor Painting ![IMG_0827.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/23y91zVgXGPkPmKahob6UWJC1jpHCezvfm4S6B3J5VtPJL33qJUbFCnQVWfV41bcB475i.jpeg) --- #### The Process .. **Either way I am looking at it, I wanted to walk you through the process, because there is always something to learn from both the frustrations and the missteps.** --- ![IMG_0821.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/EoiXEtRye7au8iiuDBEsNSJhs3H7a36j1Kw9Duo4KXy2WXpdxGSLF94JVyAVjE6d23A.jpeg) I started right where I had left off, with a partly finished sunrise and absolutely no foreground to speak of. From there I sketched in an area of tidal water, something similar to a marsh or what you might find in bay areas near the ocean. I used various shades of blue and purple to loosely map this out and incorporated watercolor pencils along with mixed paints rather than relying on paint alone. ![IMG_0817.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/EogQGbGhYxycckTt3hbxxSFBYp3u6mR5rE19WBprpc88nBRRiCPnVRg4nHg1UCjTa29.jpeg) ![IMG_0820.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/EoEsWM4AVcCmWtZ8WKvtD4JdXUdSM4L1Fx5mk5au4cXp67bFrtecMeiUWwMQ9Cm9rc8.jpeg) ![IMG_0819.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/EoGztTDsjWGrJfuCF5M5rjZ1xNbcCvvYDTpUwfYunUEKU2wiEv3JDcuoNNAHJcwHY9z.jpeg) Next I began shading in lighter and darker tones, especially near the horizon, trying to build some depth. At that point I realized I was not happy with the overall cropping of the piece, so I trimmed it down to a one to one ratio, hoping that would help the composition feel more intentional. ![IMG_0824.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/EonnWFcmAwYv1xxdWRYuH5DT9ct6sVk2XejbjKGFDfkKHJaw76Mfk35vXf4BXDUan5c.jpeg) After that I worked on the edges of the marsh grass, trying to define them just enough while adding some texture. I also pulled some of the pinks and yellows from the sky down into the water surface to help tie everything together. I then darkened the water reflections and marsh grass even further, and this is where I really started to feel like I might be making more mistakes than improvements. It was becoming clear that more work was needed, but I was no longer confident in the direction. ![IMG_0822.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/Eoc9MfUYoiePSJM39gvBiyQnf9r9JQddoFTPFycB4o8Vz8JZ3Q1RXfccrp6ePcwuzyd.jpeg) ![IMG_0818.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/Eoc9TTjG1bMSB4a7zkdXwaNuyjshZrf7Jut17wz3bAQK1nrpQfqyNvGb8MbUiQqeHTj.jpeg) ![IMG_0823.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/Eoc9RU1Sy8gomFpcPekA8Ux725U9BiccxeAkVhvzvor5pawfKTGTyyLztsYEd2KD48G.jpeg) I decided the piece needed stronger dark shading everywhere except where the sunlight was centered. I wanted the eye to be drawn to that single focal point, with everything else supporting it by being slightly darker. Even then, I still was not happy with the overall shape, so I cropped the piece again, eliminating about an inch of sky. At the same time I softened the water and grass areas, letting the shape of the waterway take on more of a visual role. ![IMG_0825.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/EoGzNXoHjHVUp4Jaaj7GWcFErS6oD59qKPWggryvMBpEk35aYiJFyFqqWJyJZb3Z8oW.jpeg) Using a black watercolor pencil, I added contrast to suggest grass or salt hay, then went back over those areas with a damp brush to darken and soften the edges. I also added a few darker clouds in front of the already existing pink clouds, in order to add some contrast and darken the sky a little. ![IMG_0826.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/EppNAs24AGUJcHrDuqQBNxrJnC6zLV9TcbqPr88STE5a1KjZ27Rk8mMzTDPaU1LzBR8.jpeg) ![IMG_0830.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/Ep7vWoeDfgZKvLTKy4TqpkR2vdXYHFvmzGtTYpmETcVdjsknTbs4Eb8UhRaeNhGhnkv.jpeg) For the final, at least I think final, steps I added highlights in the sky, water, and along the grass edges using white oil paint. Once it fully dried I added just a bit more reflection using green and purple tones so the water, right along the front edges to create the visual effect of marsh grass reflections. ![IMG_0829.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/Eos2pMrCrWnemXM1ahyxhd4wSgXeYJM2pWxpCg5y4VSJPRQX3TjXPNYEL6rHRiMkMm4.jpeg) ![IMG_0828.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/EoGzku4oqm4qF4VDGhntTtPcKPwqFLUKmHggghDMUStaVbLtLbFHKufquVoNiwZxema.jpeg) --- For now though, I am calling it done. I will take what I learned from this piece and move on to something new. I would like to try a similar scene again, but using a few new techniques I recently read about in one of my art books. I really like using water colors, but I need a TON of practice. **Frustrations and successes really are just two sides of the same process..** **And sometimes finishing something imperfect is exactly what is needed to move forward.** ![IMG_0827.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/23y91zVgXGPkPmKahob6UWJC1jpHCezvfm4S6B3J5VtPJL33qJUbFCnQVWfV41bcB475i.jpeg) #### Hope You Enjoyed The Process! ![Hive text divider.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/etvDighz-Hive20text20divider.png) ### Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day! ![Hive text divider.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/etvDighz-Hive20text20divider.png) ### All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery. ![Hive text divider.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/etvDighz-Hive20text20divider.png) ![8DAuGnTQCLptZgjHUrRAJGcW4y1D4A5QVJJ7zjzqqKdfVHSS6NapSCC8BmeEmMLJjZ3Ay6ahoJxHJf6kMJj1D6s6e6y9ZCYsCGBEGamwwWZoQE3RHPBZQPbusnre67ooQEhxPAA5r5C2is4kNk3TTnw2ZUfjBTfVrEMGaqgSLRt.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/23xf7B76kUj4mSUg45fgh4LM1kyFLzqzHu3wm9AzAQj1MzeACMz63RiqKRhpMxL19RPjW.png) ![Hive text divider.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/bdmillergallery/etvDighz-Hive20text20divider.png)

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Piece of Art