La Signora dei Fiori

A wee sketch (see below) while having ANOTHER coffee waiting for L'agenzia di viaggi to open. I raced home in the rain all excited to paint. 

Some of my favourite wee passages and what you can see in my painting this morning in Lucca:

1. that super-rich dark background really makes the flowers and foliage pop out. This background is a dark rich purply black, i also splashed in some white and burnt sienna also some phthalo green (italian green) and the same crimson red of the flowers. Some areas are super dark and some are lightened with a drip or two of water. The umbrella is a light-value dirty, earthy yellow - a complement to the dark purply black background.
2. I love calligraphy and one of the best things about watercolour is the opportunity to have a little play. there are several elements of calligraphy in the "la signora dei fiori" dark value calligraphy street lamp inside the Palazzo, some branches and twigs and dots of red flowers.
3. the "lady" with the green bag has become a balding man with wispy grey hair.
4. detail on the flower lady - there is almost none apart from her hair and some green earrings.
5. there is a gorgeous wee spider bloom amongst the terracotta pots on the left - it looks like a dried branch.
6. on the left some light value greenery that blends into the background, gives the painting some depth with layering and overlapping
7. i'm thinking about adding a broom
8. i'm super happy with the dry brush scumble on the dark under-side of the umbrella

​sorry about my shadow on the pics :(