Plein Air in August

Today, was the beginning of another three-day plein air class. In the July class, I had hoped to use gouache but never got around to it. This time, I started with watercolor, and then, at the end, added some gouache -- in the foreground mostly. I struggled with the background (bushes and an old yellow clapboard building with green shutters and brick foundation). I like the way I used the colors, shapes, and textures behind the tree but kept them ambiguous.

Nearly everyone who stopped to look at this painting commented on the brightness of it. At this point, my favorite part of the painting is the textures in the background. I never really captured the twisted quality of the tree trunk.