19 August 2007

WATERCOLOUR

Watercolour. I love this word!
There is a relatively new beach community located on Northwest Florida's Gulf Coast named Watercolor. Acclaimed architect, Jaquelin Robertson was creator of the Master Plan which includes the brilliant marketing slogan…"What color is imagination? I thought about writing a piece focusing on the architectural and design significance of Watercolor; but that would fall within the nicely padded boundaries of my creative comfort zone.

This week, due in no small measure, to the overwhelmingly positive and supportive feedback that everyone shares on this site; I decided to step WAY OUTSIDE my CZ. It was a spontaneous decision, born while I was wading through our (I have the good fortune of working with talented photographer John Ballouz) photographic scouting shots of an extraordinary historic restoration of an estate in Key West. The owners ‘got it right’ and deserve an international standing ovation. But, as usual, I digress.

One of the photos was a close-up shot of a beautiful peacock. I know this sounds absolutely Victorian-esque and ‘too-too’…but it’s not. The above photo is one of a pair that sits perched in the living room; on the edge of an incredible antique, hand-carved stone fireplace mantel found in Belgium among the ruins of an abandoned castle. The peacocks are humourous counterpoints to a room of drop-dead elegance and glamour; that irreverent spice that lets you know the owners-in-residence possess a wonderful sense of relaxed fun.

So…I’m looking at the photo and thinking, “Peacock blue ink....my very first intro to the power of water colour. Remember Mrs. Costello teaching our 6th grade class calligraphy using a real fountain pen! I should do something with the peacock photo for IMT this week…but what?” Absently, I played around with my edit buttons on 'Microsoft Picture It' and came across a tool called ‘freehand painting’. Curious, I checked it out and started playing. I didn’t even know the computer offered this capability!

I love the colours of the sky and the sea, particularly in the tropics. They are mirror images. One reflects the other, giving each a distinctive artistic quality, depending on the weather and hour. I decided to transform the background behind the peacock from drab grey 'nothingness' to the colours of a Key West sunset. I began.

This little adventure started at about 3:45 yesterday afternoon. It felt like only a few minutes, maybe a half hour, had gone by. In reality, almost two hours had passed! I haven’t been lost in so much creative fun (and frustration because of not knowing what the %#@! I was doing) on a computer (other than words/writing) in a long, long time.
Thanks IMT!

17 comments:

Patricia J. Mosca said...

For someone who doesn't know what the #&*! they are doing this is BEAUTIFUL!!!! So you have to LOVE the beauty of BEGINNING! And as usual the story is a painting unto itself!

megan said...

Royce...it's gorgeous! And you always have some cool perspective to share...keeps opening my eyes. What a gift!

laurel said...

Beautiful. You inspire me to try that technique with some of my photos.

Pilar said...

Wow! and you just discovered this computer technique? I am impressed. I love what you did with this picture. There is a dreamy magic quality to this piece. I hope you continue to work with this medium. BTW, thank you for all the kind compliments on my blog. :D

Lina said...

This is so beautiful, the colors are amazing! Inspiring.

Cheryl said...

I would never have guessed that background was painted on a computer! See, you are discovering talents you didn't even know you had. This is truly lovely - a magical peacock! I think Mrs. Costello would love it.

Umā said...

wow, what a gorgeous peacock sky! this is wonderful. i love how it glows...
thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to comment - otherwise i might not have seen this amazing piece!

Laura said...

I could look at this all day. It makes me feel totally relaxed. Like a painted guided meditation. Wonderful.

Valaine said...

I love this :) it is very elegant!

Sherri B. said...

This is stunning! Truly, this picture is a visual feast for the eyes...thank you so much for spending the two hours on the computer so that we could all benefit from the pleasure of looking at it. :~)

Deb G said...

This is wonderful! Working on the computer can get addictive.....

Julia said...

What a great idea ! And the colors are so beautiful!

winnsangels said...

This is so scrumptious, so calming, and I am so glad you spent the time experimenting. Thanks for bringing the moment of peace amidst the hectic.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your comment Royce! I just learned how to surf recently after moving out to California from the midwest. "Ridin' the wave" is totally my life mantra in so many ways.

On to more important things...this BEAUTIFUL peacock! For first time doodling with the computer I would have to give you big kudos. Well done!

Amazing how that time flies, eh?

Keep up the great work...

:-)

Anonymous said...

I've got a peacock fetish right now, and I like how you captured this one at an interesting angle. The rainbow background is such a wonderful choice to bring out the richness of the blue /green tones of the peacock.

Laura said...

How great that you stepped out of your comfort zone - this is gorgeous Royce, I love the effect you achieved!!

gaby braun said...

Congratulations for the try with a new tool! It's amazing!