This little exercise above was inspired by a memory (I didn't have it in front of me) of a picture (below)my friend Martin posted on FB. (I went back and found it after the fact.) The original probably isn't watercolor and I couldn't come near to the intensity. But what I was intrigued by was the simplicity of the shoreline and sky reflected in the water.
I wasn't at all happy with my effort so I kept fiddling with it. White ink streaks to denote the water, a few gulls in the air, and a tiny figure on the hill, singing the sun up. (Byron B., is that you?)I'll try again with the original in front of me. Now that's a good picture!
But it was back to the basics for me with the book of four-step exercises. I chose the pear and the melon slice as they use the same colors and I could work on one while the other was drying between steps. (It's good practice in patience, this waiting for the piece to dry. I don't always manage.)
The melon slice was a bit of a botch as my drawing was slightly off and I tried to make a correction halfway through. You can do that with oils--not so much with watercolors. At least, I can't. Lesson learned: don't rush the drawing, even something so simple as a slice of melon.
I was happier with the pear. But the best thing is the sense of calm and peace that paying close attention brings. I've never meditated, as such, but I suspect this is similar.
Ommm.