In this watercolor i tried to achieve the misty look for which the Washington Coast is famous. The key to doing this is to keep your colors grayed down by mixing opposites on the color wheel. For example i used burnt sienna and ultramarine blue (a muted orange and a blue). The other trick is to take a “swipe” with your brush at the area you want to soften. While the dark colors (which included sepia) of the headland were still wet, I pulled a damp brush into the area.

Gray skies and land forms do not get the love that i think they deserve. They are often crowded out by the more brash reds and dazzling greens of tropical landscapes. To me, the overcast skies of the Northwest are a nice security blanket keeping me safe from the blinding sun..

I painted “Northwest Headland” as a demo in a recent class. Unlike most demos it turned out well, and it has since been sold and gone to an appreciative home!

KC