I had to try this motif a second time in a larger format. The rough Fabriano paper is so different to use compared to the smooth surface of the Hahnemühle Anniversary Edition. This 2nd one was almost a physical experience compared to the first attempt. It looks different and I am not sure which one I like better – but I am happy with this one, too.
Ich musste dieses Motiv noch einmal in einem größeren Format versuchen. Auf dem rauen Fabriano-Papier, das ich hier verwendet habe, malt es sich so anders als auf dem relativ glatten Hahnemühle Anniversary Edition. Dieser zweite Anlauf war fast eine physische Erfahrung verglichen mit dem ersten. Es sieht auch anders aus und ich bin mir nicht sicher, welche Version ich lieber mag – aber ich bin mit diesem auch ganz glücklich.
brushpark-watercolors 
This is a really powerful image
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They are both outstanding.
In some technical ways this one may be better and the other better because it has more mystery with movement and tension.
Does it matter though when you have the skill to do two and have them both be so awesome?
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Thanks so much, Holly. You are too kind. 🙂 Now, it does not really matter if one is better or not. The painting experience was just so different – so easy and effortless in the first one – so physical and almost a body workout in the second one which comes from the different paper surfaces and sizes.
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Ich mag trotzdem das erste lieber, es hat von meinem Verständnis nach mehr Leichtigkeit.
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Da stimme ich Dir absolut zu. Die Leichtigkeit ist in der zweiten Version verloren gegangen zu Gunsten einer bleiernen Schwere. Das ist so abhängig vom Papier… und mit diesem groben Papier ist es manchmal ein Kampf – aber ein spannender. Bei der 10. Version kehre ich dann wahrscheinlich zu der ursprünglichen Leichtigkeit zurück. 🙂
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This ship scene looks so dramatic, I think I like it better. Not that I didn’t like the others. But this paper gives the scene some muscle and dark emotion almost scary. How many layers? do you ever think uh oh, I have messed up a great start because a layer wasn’t quite right? I am guessing that you just plow through and compensate in subsequent layers?
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Thanks so much, Carolyn! One day I decided not to care about making mistakes any longer. I believe to think about making mistakes is the best way to mess up a watercolor. It took me some time to get there. But the painting process is so much more important to me than the result. It is fun and auto-therapy and I don´t plan to end up in a museum. I know that I make a lot of mistakes and my watercolors are far from perfection. Even if I have a rough idea about how the result should look like when I start painting I find it much more exciting to explore where the painting process leads me to. This picture has a lot of layers, because I find it really hard to get the color density I am looking for on this paper. Usually, on a smooth surface I need only two or three layers to get what I want – here it was 7 or 8. I should probably have painted this one on a hot-press paper – on the other hand the almost physical painting process was very interesting and challenging.
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