White Cherry Tree and Tokyo In The Rain

I did promise to scan all my work in when I returned from Japan and put better quality images up, but alas, my new multi-function printer/scanner/photo-copier is refusing to scan. I don't understand why and I'm not happy about it and shall sit and sulk until a kind friend comes and sorts it out for me:(

Ok, sulk over for now just because I'm really excited about having finished the two watercolour paintings I've been working on and I've bought two frames today and have been cutting mounts for them and getting them ready for a competition I want to enter. The deadline's on Saturday but I still have to buy hooks and stuff and finish the framing.

Anyway, here are my finished (as far as any artwork is finished) paintings. I also really like just the left hand side of Tokyo in the rain all on it's own and I'm considering whether or not to chop it in half, any comments or opinions appreciated.

xxx

New Painting - White Cherry Tree

So I've actually got myself together enough over the the past couple of days to make a start on a new painting!!! Why is it that most artists will put off doing the thing they love most? It's very frustrating. The things I did to avoid making a start include cooking a full on roast dinner (lamb with all the trimmings), doing masses of washing up, cleaning the bathroom floor, going shopping, watching southpark and playing guitar, anything in fact to avoid the scary void of new white paper staring back at me when I've not painted for a while.

And then I get I get started and of course I really love it:D

I Thought it was finished earlier and I took off the masking tape (I love doing that), but now I've decided to add a bit more detail to the foreground on the left hand side. The painting is of a beautiful weeping white cherry tree in the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, like most of Kyoto in cherry blossom season it gives you the feeling of stepping into a more beautiful, enchanted fairytale of a world. Have I mentioned before how much I love cherry blossom;D

Anyway, here it is so far.

xxx