I just feel happy when I look at these flowers and their colors. It makes me think of May when all the flowers are in full bloom and gardens look so happy. I found some new watercolors while I was in Sisters Oregon for their art week, called CFM {,Case For Making}.
CFM is a company based in California. They make small batch, handmade watercolors and I really enjoy painting with them. In an effort to stay away from toxic paints, they have chosen not to offer any cobalts, chromiums, or cadmiums and not produce colors containing lead, mercury, or other harmful materials. If there is anything in any of their colors that might be harmful in any way they note this in bold at the bottom of the color description. They use a ton of pigment with just enough medium. The medium is composed of gum arabic (sap from the acacia tree), glycerine, honey, and distilled water. Combining just pigment with these natural ingredients also allows for the individual characteristics of each pigment to really shine through. The pigments they work with range from natural earth and mineral pigments to synthetic and metallic ones.
The world of handmade watercolor paint is very interesting. Each pigment is different and where it originates from influences its color. For the makers it is quite a labor of love. I happen to love all these little details about the products I use in my art, it gives me more appreciation for them when I paint with them.
Original Watercolor Painting on paper ,9-1/2x12-1/2, unframed