Mossy Japanese Garden

I was lucky enough to visit the Portland Japanese Garden this February. I've been there several times before, but always in spring and summer. In winter, the garden has a beauty of another kind. The elegant branches of the Japanese maples were fully exposed. And the moss! The moss was very happy when we visited in February! It was misting (of course) and there was such a peaceful stillness with the soft green moss. The Northwest winter at it's best!

In addition to the beautiful moss, this scene fascinated me because of the different levels in the pond. There is the bottom of the pool with it's rounded gravel, then the fish in the water, and the various reflections at the surface.

I took these pictures as I painted. My lighting is not the best indoors, and some photos were taken inside, and others outside, depending on the weather. Please forgive the inconsistencies in the quality of the photos.

Here's my pencil drawing on 140# arches paper. I've stretched the paper on gator board. To the left is a sketchbook with my gray-scale study and notes about what is important about this painting. I always try to write down "The Big Thing" about this painting or the most important thing I need to communicate. I also list risks or things to watch out for and places where I'm likely to mess-up or lose my whites. You can also see my printed reference photos. I combined elements from several photos to make the best possible painting.

Before I begin, sometimes I preserve my whites with masking fluid. Here, you can see the beige areas in the lower left covered in masking fluid. These will be white reflections later on. I started with some larger washes to lay in some general color, but I decided to work on the painting in smaller, wetter sections. I would wet an area like the rock, so the colors would blend easily, then use really thick, saturated paint to try to get all the paint down in one go.

Working on the water and background, section by section, trying to keep the paper wet wherever I'm working. I had so much fun with all the different colors in the water!

Masking fluid has been removed in the lower left, but the remaining white shapes need to be softened and blended to fit into the painting. Strangely, I left the main subject, the Japanese lantern and tree, until last. (Usually, I do the focal point first.)

"Moss Garden Pond"  18" x 24"  $750 Framed

Here's the finished painting. I hope you enjoyed seeing the process!

To see other watercolor paintings I've done of the Portland Japanese Garden click here and here.