Original Watercolor Painting, “Plein Air, 7:30-8:10am Westlake, pre-sunrise glow, 10.26.23”, watercolor, 30 x 42”, 2023

When I made this painting, I’d already tried (and failed) multiple times to render the pink / violet sunrise from this view in Seattle, looking southeast from Westlake Avenue across Lake Union to Capitol Hill.  In this work, the sun had not risen yet, but was sending the intense glow up into the clouds, an intoxicating mix of colors.  I recall working as fast as I possibly could on the very large 30 x 42” paper, faster than usual, to depict that mix of colors before they evaporated into direct daylight.  While far from perfect or even what I was going for - this piece was for me personally a big step forward in meeting a very challenging subject - which is this time of day and light condition.

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