Bicycling in Lincoln Park by Lee Blair.
We can all learn a lot from Blair’s style. It may seem dated to you at first glance but looking deeper these techniques stood the test of time and are in use today. Light sketches that are then washed over numerous times with watercolors.
But the best of this piece is in its seeming simplicity. Every single object in the painting has light reflecting off of it. Getting that just right to build depth, realism, and to trick the eye isn’t very easy at all. In fact, it takes a lot of talent and a lot of hard work.
Just like most things in life – the things that look simple were often the most challenging to create. It reminds me, somewhat, of Mark Twain’s quote about writing a short letter to a friend:
““I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” – Mark Twain