Freezing Watercolors

The one and only watercolor I did on our recent trip to China.  This was done as I sat at the landing area for the tramway up the hill to the Mutianyu Great Wall , hanging out under cover because it was snowing.  The boys were running (!?!), no really they were running up the other way on the wall that we hadn't already climbed.  I wasn't up to it, so to kill time while I waited for them to come back I attempted to entertain myself with doing this little sketch and watercolor.  Which went pretty well until it suddenly got much much colder and the water was freezing in my watercolor brush.  And freezing on the paper before it could soak in, which is why the pigment looks kind of strange.  I couldn't get that effect again if I wanted to I bet.

As I was in the waiting/transit area lots of other tourists were passing through and many of them stopped ot look and see what I was doing.  I didn't speak their language, but by the faces they were making they either liked it or thought I was a crazy person for sitting there painting when it was below freezing.  For a long time I was the only person, no one else coming or going, which was maybe the only time I was alone the whole time we were in China, there are really a lot of people there.  So it was noticeable to be by myself.

By the way:  This is my 1,400th post! Wheee!