June Challenge

[txomsy]

Welcome to a wondrous new challenge!​

Below you will find a few pictures I took about a decade ago. Nothing fancy, do not expect pieces of art. They are intended as inspirational prompts to get you interested in playing this game: it is not a competition, it is only a game of interpretation, motivation and joy, so we can all have a good time. There is no need for perfection, just post whatever you get, nor do you need to reproduce any of them, feel free to crop, reframe, recompose, reinterpret, add or remove, change colors, as you see fit. The point of all this is to find some inspiration and have fun.

The only limitation, as this is a water media forum, is that you use water media as the main component (you may draw a sketch on pencil, charcoal, pen and ink first and paint over it), whether it be watercolor, gouache, watercolor pencils, water soluble pencils or graphite, water-based ink washes... in a word, water media.

To celebrate diversity in the forum, the first one is from a Buddhist temple in Columbus, Sri Lanka:

(e.g. here it wouldn't hurt removing the traffic signal)

As we say goodbye to spring in the North Hemisphere, I though that some flowers wouldn't be out of place

And, for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere, an Autumn/Fall picture taken in the Northern one (this was, I think, the coast of Galicia, in Spain).

In this one, I specially like the color contrasts, the bright green and the 3D ambient color changes of the background, makes a good exercise of ambient perspective.

And talking of perspective, another picture from Galicia, Spain, this one making for a good practice of linear perspective:

Right on, the next two are two views of the same subject, portrait and landscape. I think they make a nice exercise for painting water and playing with color using a minimalistic composition, one with blue dominance and the other with a reddish late sunset

Dumb as a brick I am, I know. Or as a rock. Besides water, I also find it challenging to paint rocks. Specially the interplay of colors and contrasts, like in the next one:

Musk never fails to amaze me, this is not a great example, but often it can go through all the ranges of green (dark, muted, brilliant), browns, and whites in a relatively small area.

I know not everybody likes the same motives. So, for you pet lovers, I include this one. It was its first time at a lake (actually at any open water) and the little thing had a great time. In later pictures it was too soaked.

Notice how the water ripples become smaller as they go farther back. A crop around the doggie (called Dasi, by the way) wouldn't hurt here either.

And finally, as we prepare for summer in the North, a picture to entice you, avid color-seeking travelers, plus not everything would be mainly greens and blues.

This one was taken (if I'm not wrong) in a market in Peru or in Atacama (north of Chile). Crafts markets make great places to find strong colors and contrasts. The challenge here is in playing with the nuances of color shades. (Or at least, they were before many markets for tourists were invaded by Chinese-made industrial lookalikes of local artisan works). Anyway, I hope it will make you start dreaming about and planning your vacancies trip.

Well, there, I hope one of these pictures will get you inspired, or provide an interesting sample to practice. And I surely look forward with my most keen interest to see what can you make of these paltry pictures and learn how they can be improved through reinterpretation.

The challenge opens June 1 and will remain open for as long as you want. I mean, while it will formally close by June's end, the thread will still be here, and the pictures, and if you see them any time later or want to refer to them any time later, they will still be here for you. And I would bet, everybody would still be delighted to see your interpretation even if it happens years from now.

So! Don't hesitate to upload your interpretation (but don't set it aside for next year, and if possible upload it during the month).

Yours sincerely​

 

[Sanlynn]

Thanks, txomsy. You have provided a wonderful range of challenges for us. I also like your comments.

 

[txomsy]

You are most sincerely welcome. I hope others will also feel thrilled to give one a try.

 

[Joy]

Thanks for hosting with the variety of photos. Your words about "interpretation, motivation and joy," are well written and in the spirit of the challenge. Are you located in Northern Europe? Your photos are always so varied. Of course, it is understandable if you do not care to share your country.

 

[Jo Castillo]

Thanks for the photos. All good. Love the cloth, I think it is more Chile than Peru. We lived in Chile, Peru and Bolivia. The cloth with the natural dyes is so durable. I have some used for tablecloths and have been washed and dried for thirty years and still bright and wonderful. The weave is tight and water sort of rolls off, good rain gear. No stains for that reason. You made me homesick in a good way. I'm smiling at memories. Hope to do something if life doesn't get in the way again.

 

[Grapes]

We lived in Chile, Peru and Bolivia.

Jo, WOW

txomsy, wish only this was for oils, I could paint several of these with oils. I'm so clumsy with water media. Gorgeous photos, tho!

 

[Joy]

Grapes, you can still paint several and put them in th oil forum. I would love to see them, as your work is always so good.

 

[txomsy]

Grapes, nobody said these are only for water color inspiration. Only that posts in this forum should be mainly water media based. Certainly there is nothing to prevent you from doing anything in oils and posting it in the oils forum. I uploaded the pictures in the hope they might inspire someone to do something, so please, feel free -if they inspire you- to use them as your source, just follow the rules and post in the appropriate forum.

Joy, yes, I was born in Europe, but I've always been driven by curiosity and collaboration. Curiosity led me to interest in others and their points of view, collaboration is what has taken me to visit most of the places I've been to (and find alike souls everywhere).

Being to so many places allowed me to interact with so many people from so many places that I now see little differences in being from/in one place or another, and the little differences I've found, I treasure for they opened my mind and showed me how wrong I've always been in almost anything I believed and how lucky I've been so far. I no longer give any relevance to origins (other than the opportunities they provide) and only care about persons. Actually I moved shortly after I was born, was raised elsewhere, trained in a different place, went to University somewhere else, and made collaboration with international colleagues my way of life. I can hardly say I belong anywhere and indeed often select which filiation I use as convenient.

 

[Joy]

txomsy, thanks ever so much for your input, as I (and many others who have traveled) see all of the wonderful cultures, differences, and beauty of each nationality. Many who have lived in the same place their whole lives do not understand the perspective of others, and feel their way is the only way. They may fear others who are not like them to the extreme that others with different beliefs are fundamentally wrong to their way of thinking. There can also be a mindset of "the grass is always greener" elsewhere. That is a very closed minded attitude, and so many artists understand that. To me, the most important thing to achieve through travel is a broader perspective.

Jo, so interesting about the textiles. I do recall you spent a lot of time in South America. It is so hard to get any kind of quality item anymore, so those are real treasures!

 

[Grapes]

txomsy, thank you for your permission to paint and post your images in oils as well!
I believe it's assumed that the challenge images are only for this challenge (although not sure how it goes) unless stated otherwise.

 

[KreativeK]

Thanks txomsy for these amazing images!

Grapes, I believe you could do one or more in oils, post in that forum, and reference back to Watermedia. That would drive traffic here. Just a thought.

 

[txomsy]

Actually, if you've followed the forums for a while, you'll have seen some cross-posts to more than one sub-forum where something would appropriately fit in several.

Not being a moderator, do not take my word for it, but I think that is actually expected and probably welcome. As for the pictures I upload, I now realize I should have added to each of them

CC-BY-NC

I.e. anyone can use them as they see fit, including derivative works as long as authorship is acknowledged (a link to the post is enough), and the original image is not used for commercial purposes.

I'll make a mental note to remember adding that the next time(s).