On Padilla Bay

Watercolor is a challenging medium. The artist must rely on thin washes of color and anticipating the accidents that happen as the colors bleed from one area to another on the damp surface of the paper. To provide an illusion of light, the white paper of the background must show through the veils of color. There is no going back to paint out an area which didn't work the first time. Because of the uncertainty of the process, to say nothing of the difficulties of drawing well and constructing a successful composition, watercolor paintings fail and turn to mud far more often than they succeed.