In setting up my latest conflict between saturated and earth-tone colors I inadvertently mixed my cobalt blue with either quinacridone nickel or one of my iron oxides (I used both). Previously I had wet down my paper and stroked on the quinacridone. There are two phases to the bloom of this dirty yellow pigment. The deeper tone lies under the brush and a brighter (happier?) tone radiates out along the wetness. I always enjoy this, when it happens.

I wanted to see how a cadmium red would mix so I drew another stroke next to the heavy yellow stripe. The blue came next, as a stripe next to the red.

Landscape
12″x9″ 140# Cold Pressed Watercolor Block

I then went to work on the bottom of the painting, which is where I went crazy with the earth tones. I painted over them with a frustrated cobalt blue brush and then in desperation dripped water to clear out the undergrowth, so to speak.

I was very pleased with the down-growing trees, taking their shape from the erosion of the substrate over which the excess water flowed.