I'm an avid gardener and when I saw this butterfly settling down for a drink, I had to paint it! The trick in painting moving elements like a butterfly is to take a photo, then sketch the moving part very quickly!
In a world of supermarkets and mass produced stores, a grocery boat in Venice appealed to me. Bright colors of the fruit overhung by the green dark shade of the awning made a beautiful contrast. The shadows make the fruit seem brighter, almost glowing
I love the patterns vines make - the craggy vines and leafy tendrils all creating a gorgeous value pattern - and then I add color! It's hard to refrain from painting every leaf, but keeping detail to a few leaves makes the value pattern bolder.
Just some gondoliers standing and chatting, waiting for tourists. The gaudy gondolas in the sunlight scream color and extravagance, but the gondoliers moving in and out of shadow are much more interesting. I always paint people merging in and out of their backgrounds, to some extent. Otherwise, they look like a cardboard cutout I've pasted on the painting. The trick is to make that merging natural.
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Biography
Course dates
20 June - 27 June 2009
Jennifir Branch is a modern impressionist bringing her subjects to vibrant life on paper. Her style is uniquely vivid in colour and concept – and her paintings explore the full possibilities of ‘transparent’ watercolour, a medium which brings colour and light to life.
Jennifer’s workshop courses in Atlanta, Georgia, USA draw artists from around the world to learn from her unique painting style, while the associated videos have inspired many artists.
As well as her studio work, Jennifer makes frequent and varied inspirational travels. While she prefers to work in watercolours, Jennifer is also skilled in oils and acrylics and is happy to teach in those media, too.
You can find our more about Jennifer on www.jenniferbranch.com
