Mama's Shadow

I've been sitting on an image I took a couple years ago of some longhorns out in a meadow. I was waiting for the right time to create a painting from that photo and the time was just the other day.

I knew in my painting that I wanted to have a clear focal point. Sure I could depict more than one beautiful longhorn, but that would be a conflict of interests for the viewer. That's when I decided that the mama longhorn with the white draped over her back would be the most interesting one in the herd. The idea of the contrast of dark against her white back would help lead your eye along her horns to her face.

I knew I wanted to experiment more with a washy background, really emphasizing the beauty of watercolor. Not only did I play with dripping the colors, I wanted a little contrast and magic by using my masking fluid to create little circles for highlight areas.

The in progress images I took with my phone, so the colors are a bit off, but even with that I thought you might like to see the process.

And here is the finished painting "Mama's Shadow." I love how the rusty purple shadow oozes down and it reminds me of starry sky which is inspiring me to create a Milky Way painting this fall. Sometimes I become inspired while creating a painting and I just remember to finish the painting that I'm working on.

Let me know what you think about my watercolor paining by leaving a reply below. I'd love to hear from you!