Pumpkin Patch Orange Madness!!

"Pumpkin Trio"   Watercolor  8 x 10
Available contact artist

What is it about pumpkins?  They appear only during autumn and soon after Halloween they disappear....In the weeks leading up to the holiday, here on the Central Coast of California, and in particular the San Mateo coast....an unspoiled stretch of coastline , which for California took an act of congress to preserve.... there are patches of orange amid the dried grasses and chaparral.....the fields have the obligatory scarecrow and resident ravens and red winged blackbirds.....and delighted people of all ages roam about finding the perfect shape...Personally I go for the stem....For me a pumpkin must have a notable stem...perhaps a reminant of a curly vine as well....and yes, the shape is quite important...I mean really....it's about the shape of the gourd, n'est pas?
As for the actual carving potential, bigger is definitely better...wielding a sharp butcher knife and plunging into the almost impenetrable exterior, you need a large margin for error....there is no better killjoy than a trip to the emergency room...
I keep my carving design simply classic...and I save the detail for a safer expression of art....
The piece I am sharing with you today is a watercolor I did a year ago.... I have dabbled in this medium a few times. It takes an immense amount of restraint to produce the effect of light....perhaps a juicy pastel will follow...
Enjoy!