Hi Will,

I took on the challenge of painting this rose! It just came at the right time since my main focus was practicing the dance of light and shadow in the leaves without sticking to reference photos but simply enjoying the flow of pigments. I love how watercolor allows for such organic blending—some areas flowed effortlessly, while others tested my patience.

It is very hard for me to paint without a reference photo which is a good thing from time to time because it can stiffle my creativity and imagination as well as the joy of painting. I got lost in the petals and the different shades and hues probably are not very harmonic, but that happens more often than not even with a reference photo. I might go back and deepen a few shadows to enhance the form, but for now, I’m embracing the looseness and the learning process!

Thank you, Will :)!