August often surprises with some beautiful, low-humidity days in this area. The beauty of nature never ceases to be awe-inspiring and, these days, a source of healing from a recent extraordinary loss and its ongoing shock waves. So, out walking the dog earlier in the week, I took out a sketchbook again to try to capture the wonderful scene in front of me. My personal goals included leaving some white on the page, and letting colors blend on the page even as I tried to keep them separate on the palette. This is a neighborhood scene rich with weeping willows and even lily pad gardens. Enormous pond reeds framed part of the view as I sat on top of an over-turned rowboat on the shore. There’s something satisfying about plein air watercolor painting! Sitting around this lake–never busy with visitors–is always soothing.
Illustration: Watercolor and pen-and-ink sketch, August 2017, northern Virginia by Black Elephant Blog author
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