Original watercolor 36x36" (unframed)
 
A large practice watercolor of one of Florida's most iconic and important plants, the Saw Palmetto. It's a host plant for the Palmetto Skipper, and a food source for countless insects and animals (most notably the Black Bear) and also provides cover for animals. I've always loved saw palettos and was inspired to paint one after finding a great plant to photograph near where I live. I wanted to  celebrate some of the range of color that can be seen in this species, from blue grey, to dark green, to the brown dry leaves. I also wanted to show it in the various beautiful stages of flowering and fruiting. 
 
I ended up making a lot of mistakes, so instead of starting over I continued with the piece as as study. Please note that this piece contains marks in the while area around the image that normally are not present in my paintings. The price of this piece is discounted to reflect that. The second, third and fourth images show the multiple marks around the outter edge. 
 
Process
I blocked off areas with maskign fluid and started with a single fluid wash over the entire thing, then added the sharp lines and many tiny details of the forground leaves and berries. The masking fluid technique I used resulted in paint seeping all around the painting, leaving marks where I did not want them. My hand also slipped a couple times, streaking more paint where it didn't belong. Despite the mistakes, I really enjoyed this piece and can't wait to do it again!