"Don't Worry Be Happy" watercolor

This is a demo started in a class a few months ago. Finished this weekend.  These boats were tied up in a busy urban harbor in South America.  I decided yesterday to turn it into a tropical scene.  Guess I'm in the mood for a vacation.  Watercolor on Arches 300# cold press  10-1/2 x 14"
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Fast vs Slow.....Loose vs Detailed.

Update.....I've removed the birds. I like it much better. Sometimes you take a risk and it's spectacular. Sometimes it doesn't work out. I could never have removed the birds if I hadn't used 300# paper. The Paynes Grey that I used on them was very staining. I really had to scrub. It would have put a hole in #140 paper.


The top watercolor "Waiting for Breakfast" 21" x 18" is the class demo I started several months ago and finally finished this week. It took about 25 hours to paint. I added the gulls as an afterthought and wish I had left them off. I liked it better without them. I already removed about 4 birds and may just wash off the whole ocean and redo it. The second scene is from the same docks in Punte del Este, Uruguay. It is a full sheet 22"x 30" on Arches 300# cold press worked wet in wet that with drawing and painting took a total of two hours. I show the reference photo on the right to give you an idea of the scene I was trying to capture. So, which is better? Which is worth more? The one that took more time or the quick, loose painting? I don't think the amount of time spent has anything to do with how much a painting is worth. Personally, I like the loose one better. I think it's fresher, and certainly was more fun to paint. It's so difficult for me to loosen up, but it's so much fun.