At times, watercolor takes you where it wants to go. It can be best to follow through on the journey instead of rigidly resisting the movement of the wet pigment and overwork a scene.
I started this painting because I was experimenting by tweaking the classic paint combination of yellow ochre with burnt umber which results in a warm brown. Recently, in my walks through the landscape, at least in the light, I felt some variation of this pairing. As I put down a plant swatch, usually I end up turning it into a landscape, real - or imaginary. This way I can apply a 'swatch' to the landscape right then and there. Also, I end up with a mental/visual recording which I can refer to later.
As that warm colored ridge took shape, it was obvious to me that the left side of the composition was lacking substance - so on the spot - I dropped in the head of a figure. I think the figure adds an element of mystery as you don't know who he is or what he is doing - as most of his body is left out of the scene. Additionally, his presence, emphasizes the high contour.
This watercolor was painted while my wife was feeding candy to young trick-or-treaters.
