Thursday, June 4, 2009

Masking Backlighting Effects

(click on image to enlarge)
Peruvian Potato Farmers
Watercolour and crayon
©2009 Charlene Brown
I have no pictures from the day we went whitewater rafting on the Urubamba, other than some fairly embarrassing photos of us in helmets, lifejackets and wet-suits, trying to absorb instructions on how to paddle into and out of a whirlpool, and how to avoid capsizing (throw yourself across the bottom of the boat, which is surprisingly easy, but getting up again without losing your paddle isn’t). The Urubamba has some Class V rapids in the wet season, but fortunately, right now is the dry season, and we had an absolutely fantastic day. And I will probably never do it again.
Anyway, my point is that no painting or sketching was done that day, so here’s my painting of some potato farmers we saw the next day. It’s based on a picture taken almost directly into the morning sun in the northeast sky. Masking liquid was used to bring out the backlighting effects on the glacier and the figures in the foreground. As promised in my May 28 post, there will be more about the masking fluid if my quipu and Incan step designs turn out.
BTW, did you know that potatoes originated in Peru, and they have preserved and include in their diet hundreds of varieties of them? Surprises every day for my grandson and myself, accustomed to about two and a half varieties.