art of watercolor; what is and what is not

We painted two different versions of the same sunset as we listened to the quiet chatter of the other painters. We had just learned the art of watercolors, how to apply different amounts of water on the paper and produce different results, wet on wet, washes, dry on dry, transparent colors, wet on dry, glazes. Sometimes is was strokes of brilliance, sometimes it was literally splashes of color. Too much color.

J exclaimed suddenly, "Guys! Look at my flower!" She displayed her picture on the table. It was good for what it was; we were all novices anyway, but the colors were bright and happy, the flower yellow, the grass green. She grabbed a brush and again started to add water.

"What are you doing?" I asked nervously. I thought that she had just displayed a finished product, and we had been told a common watercolor-er error is overbrushing.

"Maybe it's not a flower anymore!" She laughed and made another brush stroke. "Can this be a sun??"

"It can be whatever you want it to be," I said expertly, yet cautiously, "it's Art." (Though secretly, I had never seen or imagined a green sky.)

"Oh, no!" She soon exclaimed, "I messed it up!"

"NO" we protested, "we like it! Leave it alone.." We really did, too. The shapes had started to melt into one another, making it a sort of abstract art, but they were still a happy yellow and green.

"Don't touch it anymore," I continued, cliche-ing. "Less is more. The colors are good; the placement is good!"

"But what is it?" J looked skeptically at her own watercolor.
"It doesn't have to be anything. It just IS the colors and shapes. Just don't touch it..."

J quietly kept at it. "Maybe it's a lily pad with a flower on it."
The class exchanged glances. "That could be." The teacher commented, "Monet did that."

We painted on. One by one we left as we finished with our paints. Out came mountains, trees, sand, water, air, and the occasional flower. Holding her painting up one last time, she asked as she readied to leave, "Do you think everyone will know it's a cave?"