Tag Archives: sunsets

I didn’t draw the geese

On Monday evening I walked over to Stonecreek to check on the goslings. They’re at that awkward adolescent phase where their down has turned brown instead of green, but their tail feathers are not yet coming in. I chickened out on drawing them.

The sky, however, was putting on a show. I captured the soft pastels while the geese were eating. But I could tell the color was going to be spectacular so I raced to the other side of the pond, to catch the reflections. This extraordinary fire-red-orange rewarded me. What a stunning sunset! I found out the next day there was a wildfire to the west of town. That might explain the stunning color.

A watercolor painting of a dramatic fire-red sunset sky, framed by loose bold painted borders. A dark silhouetted treeline and rooftops stretch across the middle ground, rendered in deep brown-black washes. The entire sky above and below the horizon glows in intense layers of orange and red, painted in Bloodstone Genuine and Transparent Pyrrol Orange watercolor.
Bloodstone Genuine and Transparent Pyrrol Orange direct watercolor. Sunset at Stonecreek, 4 May 2026

I used Bloodstone Genuine and Transparent Pyrrol Orange. Even the frame is all watercolor. My first “Darks” drawing for May’s Patreon theme by Liz Steel.

A sketchbook spread covering Sunday 3 May and Monday 4 May 2026. Left side shows a Coloring Book of Shadows Earth element page and two Diamine ink swatches labeled Lady Grey and Earl Grey. Center, handwritten journal notes about walking at Stonecreek and watching the sunset. Right, a bold watercolor painting of a fiery red-orange sunset sky with a dark silhouetted treeline, painted in dramatic washes of orange, red, and deep brown-black.
Fiery Sunset, 3–4 May 2026