November’s Western Mini: Spiderwebs

This month’s Western Mini is something a little moodier for November. Each is a 2.5x3.5” watercolor originals featuring spiderwebs stretched over a fall sky. Each one captures that late autumn feeling when the air’s a little heavier, the fields are mostly quiet, and the last bits of light hit everything in that reddish purple glow.

The webs are left in reserve, unpainted, against silhouettes of tall grasses or maybe old corn stalks left standing after harvest. those half forgotten corners of the field that always seem to hold the morning dew just right.

What makes this piece special is that it’s all watercolor. The bright whites of the web aren’t inked or drawn in later. The webs are the untouched paper underneath and the dew drops on them have color and darkness within. It’s one of those techniques that takes patience, but I love how it gives the web a soft, natural brightness that fits the scene perfectly.

These minis remind me a little of those fall nights playing a game my family called “hide and go scream.” At dusk we would silently run around the field or in the woods as the sky got dark, everyone was “it” and when you found each other you would scream and both run the other direction. My little brother would scream every time he hit a spiderweb.

If you’re part of my Monthly Western Mini subscription, you’ll be getting one of these spiderweb skies in the mail soon.