Sunset from PKOLS

The sunset as seen by the unaided eye

Tonight, Alex and I took a quick drive to the top of PKOLS, hoping to catch the last rays of sun as it set.  

We were about 10 minutes too late to see the sun actually drop below the horizon, but we were not too late to enjoy the spectacle of colour it left behind to mark its path.

zooming in a bit closer

Yes, I did bring the 'super zoom camera' with me to see if I could capture some closer views.  

As you might imagine, I am thinking still about finding some colour-drenched images to use as inspiration for water-colour playtime.

I loved seeing just how close I could get to capturing the pool of red lying just on the horizon of the mountains.

The challenge is, that the closer you get to the details of interest, the less you can see the whole picture.  

I suspect there is a very obvious metaphor going on there, but there you go.

In a more practical mode, I did find myself thinking about my aunt Wyona pointing out that a picture needed to have a bit of variety in it for the images to pop out.  I was left wondering if the closest view (the one most drenched with colour) was the best one for the purposes of painting?

And the latest watercolour challenge with Wyona reminded me that getting those sunset colours vibrant takes more time and layers.  And that you need contrast between the sky and something else.

From last week's watercolour session under Wyona' much valued tutelage!

When Alex saw the results, he told Wyona and I that our volcanos looked great.   

Volcanos?!   

Well.... I will continue to work on my 'sunset skills', but I did wonder if, rather than explaining that this was a sunset and not a volcano, I might not find it just as satisfying to rename the painting?  

Something like "Meditations on a Volcano"?