Trees over Beaver Creek
This is my first time here. I'm 80 years old and have been doing watercolors for about two years, with no prior art experience or instruction. I stumbled upon this website from YouTube, and I'm really liking what I see here. Much of what I see is what I think of as "watercolor" style--I guess I'd describe it as "painterly" or "minimalist," not trying to be a photograph or oil painting.
I'm attaching one of my favorite paintings from about 6 months ago, with my own reference photo. This is a spot on the nearby North Beaver Creek Greenway in Apex, North Carolina, USA, where we often walk. I was intrigued by the unusual orientation of the trees bridging the creek. Original size 8.5x11". I feel like I've reached the plateau state Olly describes, getting frustrated with the distance between my skills and my vision, and feeling stuck.
In a relatively short time you have learned a lot so don't give up. Keep painting. It helps me to regard each work as a "learning experience" rather than a "painting." I usually try doing something new or different to help avoid or get past that plateau. Even a complete failure means I learned something so then it's on to the next. Just keep going!