What is the hardest thing about painting? This is a question I sometimes ask my watercolor students. The answer I give is: Deciding what to paint.  In the last few years I have had an annual show at the Contreras Gallery in Tucson. Here are some of the themes: “Rocks and Water”, “Clouds”, “Landscapes with Flowers”.  But what was going to be my next theme?  For months I could not come up with an answer. Then one day it seemed very clear: “The Grand Canyon.”  I have hiked in the Grand Canyon a number of times and have taken well over a thousand photographs. A few months ago I went through my collection and came up with a dozen to paint. Here is one of them. I was drawn to this picture by the contrast of light and dark. I will be posting more of this series as I finish them.