Every now and then it’s good to set aside plans, expectations and detailed colour mixing and simply enjoy painting.
Recently I decided to give myself a challenge: create a watercolour painting of a hedgerow near my studio in approximately one hour. The aim wasn’t to produce a masterpiece. Instead, I wanted to loosen up, experiment and enjoy the process.
Working from one of my own reference photographs, I chose colours instinctively and used many of them straight from the tube (no mixing involved). It was the perfect opportunity to try some of the paints I received for Christmas, many of which had been waiting patiently to be used.
Texture became an important part of the painting. I sprinkled salt into damp washes, flicked paint across the paper, printed textures using scrim and even used real leaves to create interesting marks and patterns. These are all techniques I’ve explored in other videos, but combining them in one spontaneous painting produced some wonderfully unexpected results.
I also reached for two brushes that I don’t normally use: a large wash brush and a sword brush. Both encouraged a freer, more expressive approach and helped me avoid getting caught up in unnecessary detail.
What I enjoyed most was the sense of freedom. Without worrying too much about colour mixing or accuracy, I found myself responding to the painting as it developed. The experience reminded me that watercolour can be at its most exciting when we allow the medium to surprise us and ‘do its own thing’.
The finished painting captures a familiar hedgerow near my studio, but more importantly it captures the enjoyment of the process itself. Sometimes giving yourself permission to play is exactly what your creativity needs.
If you’d like to see the painting develop from start to finish, you can watch the full video above.