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Monday, June 27, 2011

Lorrie #25 - Lovely Live-Forever

Lovely Live-Forever, watercolor 8 x 8 inches
This gorgeous succulent plant is a native in California along the coast. It's a bit like ice-plant but only grows in little clumps, whereas ice-plant is a non-native that spreads in vast mats, and has taken over the viewscape in many areas since its introduction years ago as a sand-dune stablizer. Now when we see a little specimen of Live-Forever on some wind-swept coastal cliff, it's a precious sighting. (Ice-plant is very lovely, too... but invasive!)

4 comments:

Meowlissa said...

Absolutely gorgeous :) I love how the textures pop right through.

Unknown said...

Yay for red and green succulents: how stunning! I like the dark stuff (I guess its's some dried grass), it creates a nice contrast and negative space. Also do you ever try to put white (gouache or pencil) on top of your watercolors? I know it's not pure watercolor but it can work really well to give succulents that plump roundness and sheen.

Lorrie Klosterman said...

Hey Kristin, agreed that some highlights would help with a sense of three dimensions and also convey the somewhat shiny surface. I didn't plan ahead (leaving white paper), and this paper was too thin to scrub out highlights--but I also am choosing to avoid opaque media for now ... though I love mixed media, I am pretending they don't exist so that I get the most out of watercolor practice. You know? (Rumor has it that some watercolor judges will hold a painting up and backlight it to check for opaque media usage, which is a disqualification!!??!!)

Laure Ferlita said...

Lovely colors and blends in this. Love the suggested background as well.