Watercolor Versus Oil

"On the Rocks" 7"x 5" oil on gessobord © 2014

Watercolor versus oil paint.  Sometimes it's a challenge to decide which medium I want to use to paint a subject.  After painting so much with oils, it was a nice break to try the last three paintings in watercolor.  I was curious to see if the watercolor would be faster.  The result, the watercolor of this same seal and rocks was faster.  My "Farewell" seal took five and a half hours, this same baby seal in oils took me almost three times longer, a total of sixteen hours!  I was really surprised.  I have had other watercolor paintings take almost as long as an oil painting of the same size and subject.  I think I must have been "in the zone" with that first seal painting.

The next question is, which one do you like better? (Scroll down three posts to see the "Farewell" seal)  Team watercolor or team oil?  I like both of them for different reasons, but I do feel like my seal in the oil looks better to me.  What is your vote?  If you were buying one of them, which one would you choose? 

Morning Wash.

"Morning Wash" 7 x 5 watercolor © 2014

How lovely it is when you don't have to do all the gardening, but you get to enjoy all the benefits of seasonal flowers!  Our apartment in Dresden, Germany had the nicest yard with fruit trees and flowers.  Since it was located on a hillside, the yard sloped from the road above to the house, 38 steps down to the back door of the apartment.  Our landlords, the Sobotta's, called it the "fitness apartment".  It did get our heart rates up to carry groceries or luggage up or down all those steps!

I mention the hill because they had built a pretty three foot tall retaining wall of stone partway down.  I loved the red and rust brown colors of the stone.  This little cat loved it too, not for the color, but because the stones were warm in the morning, a perfect place for her daily face washing routine.  With the sun shining on her fur, she was having the best time.   I wanted to document this little moment of kitty joy.

"Morning Wash" at my Etsy shop