Pam's Peonies

My gardening friend, Pam, graciously picked some of her peonies for me a few days ago. I have been working on a painting of them ever since. I have a vase that is made to look like birch bark that I love to use, it's shaped like a big piece of birch bark that has been curled around and fastened together. This was a bigger painting project than I thought it would be. Interspersed with the peonies were daisies, just to add some interest. I was challenged all around with the white daisies and peonies, it was quite a lesson. I think painting from a live subject is so much more challenging than from a photo but it is worth the doing.

Spring Flowers; Peonies

I've been trying to paint the peonies that I saw this week. They were the single petal type and remind me of poppies. The first ones I painted are tight and hard edged, which was OK but I long for a looser style. Nothing gets me painting loose like Yupo, so I threw some paint on some Yupo and think the first results are quite fun. I may play around with it some more and if I do, I'll be posting any additions that I make.

A Different Strokes Challenge

I'm just getting into painting again since the "transition". I wanted to enter the Different Strokes Challenge and today was the final day to submit an entry. I had to get my brushes going fast. Sometimes if you don't sweat it too much things work out better. That was the case today. I had a picture of a bull that I always wanted to paint but didn't know about what background would be interesting. The Challenge provided me with a perfect background for my black bull. Is he an Angus? I don't know, he was all by himself on a ranch in Wyoming, and he wasn't too happy about it. He stopped complaining long enough for me to take the picture. I think the farm picture is Pennsylvania, maybe he'll be happier there.

Transitions

This is a drizzle rooster I did awhile back. You drizzle a glossy acrylic outline and when it's dry you can wet the paper and add the color. It's a fun process, especially with chickens.


We've been in transition the last couple of weeks. We pack up and leave Florida's hot and steamy weather for something more moderate in Minnesota. People call it the theater of weather. You can get it all in just to span of a few hours. Some years a summer in Minnesota can be as hot and humid as one in Florida, but that is unusual. I hoped I could paint something during the down time of traveling but it just didn't happen. Now that we are settled in, groceries bought, bags unpacked, laundry done, I can get some organization going in my painting area and get back to blogging.

Brush experiment

I had to sit and mind the gift shop at our local art league (http://www.capecoralartleague.org/ )and to pass the time I decided to try the brushes I bought several years ago that have water in the handle of the brush by Aquaflow. I thought they might be handy for painting in confined places where you might not want to have a cup of water. It was frustrating in the beginning because I'm so used to rinsing my brush frequently in water; with this brush you have to squeeze it to flush whatever pigment you are using out of it before going on to another. It's nessesary to have something absorbent handy to catch the drips and to wipe the brush; papertowel or sponge work well. I painted on a postcard sized piece of w/c paper trying to keep in mind a confined space. It's no masterpiece but it gave me some insight into painting with these interesting brushes. The Aquaflows have a valve in them that keep the pigment from being sucked into the water in the handle which was a problem with another brush that I had. I'm thinking that I might even be able to do quick sketches while riding in the car on long trips.

The Humble Onion

I had a little painting session with some friends today. While they chose to do landscape paintings of the area, I chose the humble onion, three of them. My friend's husband is a wonderful gardener and here in South Florida this is the harvest season while the rest of the country seems to be just thinking of planting things. He had an abundance of onions, and they are an interesting subject with their dried tops and papery skins.

New York Street Scene

What a fun painting Karen Jurick had for us to paint this dsdf session. The canyon of New York City with their colorful, ubiquitous taxi cabs. I had one more strip of yupo, so I had to paint it on that. I love the result of the wavy edges and the way one color oozes into another. It's a small painting, only 15 x 3.5 inches, so I could only do a sliver of the whole picture which you can view at http://www.differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks.blogspot.com/ You can also see all the other fabulous painters' renditions of the same picture. It's really fun to see the creativity that takes place on that blog.

Watery Sunset

I think I've finally come to the end of my long, narrow yupo paintings. It's time to move on to something new. But I have one more to post. It's 26"X5", so it looks small on the uploaded picture because of it's length. I like the way the sun puddled into the water on this one. Sometimes the sunsets do have the feeling that the sun is just dipping down into the water and you don't know if the sun will overcome the water or the water the sun; and then, it just disappears. Perhaps I should do one more painting with a "green flash".

More Art In Bloom

I think I need more photography classes. For some reason my camera was very confused taking pictures at the museum. So many of my photos were blurry. It seems that my camera didn't know where to focus even though I tried my best to direct it. But this painting of the boats lined up on the shore and the flower arrangement lined up in little boat shaped vases was really nice. Another favorite.

Art In Bloom

While we were in Minnesota we took advantage of an annual exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) called Art In Bloom. Floral arrangements are made to resemble different works of art. My favorite was done of a painting of a steamboat. I love the baby's breath in the smoke stacks.

Yellow Daffodil

I've been in Minnesota for the week end and have once more experienced the variety of weather they call spring up north. We had rain, wind, cold temperatures, sun, fair skies; in other words, the whole enchilada! We went to the Minnesota Arboretum in Chanhassen to see spring in all it's glory. We saw daffodils, tulips, magnolias, crocus', all shapes and sizes of trees leaves, from small buds to several inches. It was glorious and many pictures were taken.

I just had to paint a daffodil and then I came up against the problem of painting yellow flowers; what do you use for shadow color? I used a purple which I knew would turn to brown on the yellow, but blue would turn green and red would turn orange, etc. I'm not totally satisfied with the outcome but if anyone who paints in watercolor has a solution I'd love to hear about it.

Sunset, Sea and Sky

This one is a small one, 14.5 x 3.5 inches. It was painted on Yupo. One reason I like Yupo is that the pigment stays on the surface and dries there; doing so it remains vibrant. On ordinary watercolor paper a lot of the pigment is absorbed and it dries at least 20% lighter. If you don't go strong with the color the first time you have to glazed more color onto it.

A Sunset Turns Into A Flower

In my last post I said that the pigment on wet Yupo would continue to move as it dries. I was going for another Sky, Sea, Sand painting with a sunset and discovered that the Quinacridone Red that I used actually pushed the blue almost off the paper. Then I added a Quinacridone Gold and it really pushed. I was left with this big blob of mostly pink in my sky that didn't look remotely like a sunset. But it did look a little like a Lotus blossom. So, with some editing after it was dry I refined the flower and I think it's quite nice. I added some yellow to the now dry blue in puddles to resemble the flat leaves floating on the water.

Sand, Sea, Sky Series

I'm back after some break time on the beach in Sarasota, actually, Siesta Key. The sand there is the most amazing sand you've ever seen. They say it is almost all quartz that has been ground down into fine sugar consistancy by the water and wind. It is almost as white as sugar as well.

I was inspired to do some paintings on Yupo of just the sand, sea and sky. My sand needed some color to it, though. I have one of this kind of painting over my kitchen sink and people never fail to comment on how much they like it. Maybe it's the simplicity or the memories of time on the beach. Whatever it is, I enjoy the way I can get a really watery look on the yupo paper. I wet it first and then brush in my pigment and keep manipulating it until it looks like what I want. It must then dry completely before I can move it and the exciting thing is that the pigments will continue to move until it is dry. If you are a control freak do not try this. After it is dry I can come in with a wet brush and edit if I wish but once I change it there is no going back to the original.

Diana's Companion

This is the new challenge from Different Strokes From Different Folks Blog. It's a photo of a statue of Diana's companion, from Greek mythology, not British royalty. Someone must have modeled for the sculptor before he sculpted, don't you think? So, I'm imagining the subject before she was cast forever into stone. I put her in flesh and as I was painting the dress (?) I thought, "Hmm, and I complain about bra straps." I had a devil of a time with the legs, the knees especially but I think I have them in the right place, now. It's funny how the mistakes I had made really showed up in the photo and I had to fix it and take new photos. I didn't think I would like this subject but I really got into it and enjoyed the process. That's what I like about DSFDF, you paint things you may not even consider painting otherwise. To see the original photo go to http://differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks.blogspot.com/

Date with a Grape

Every year I am asked along with my pastel painting husband, to donate a piece of art to the American Heart Society Ball. They have a silent auction for many items as a fund raiser. This year I've decided to donate this painting, A Date With a Grape. I think it would go well in a wine bar, wine store, kitchen or dining room. Some of the vines on the bottom were made by blowing on the wet paint with a drinking straw. You have to be careful not to blow so hard that you get dizzy. Grapes are fun to paint with their lovely orb shapes and shadows. I hope my painting gets a good bid and raises some money for the Heart Fund.

Purple Orchid

My friend who was visiting from Minnesota bought me an orchid plant one day. I have wanted to paint it so I took it to class last week and worked on this painting. I don't know why I get so tight; I guess I'm concentrating on the shapes and colors and forget to render it in a more watercolor fashion. Perhaps I will take it to class again tomorrow and have a "do-over". This is one of the times in life when a "do-over" is possible, unlike so many other times when we wish we could have a "do-over" but we can't.

Betty

I've put it off long enough. I have done all I'm going to do to the portrait of my friend Cathi's mom. This is from a totally candid photo taken of her a year or so ago. I liked the knowing look she is giving, like she has seen it all. I'm not sure if the portrait is finished, I just know that, for now anyway, I'm not going to do anymore on it. Maybe some day in the future I'll pick it up and decide that more needs to be done and I'll know what it is. Sometimes paintings are like that aren't they?

Beach Girl

I painted this to post on differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks.blogspot.com . The original photo had more people in it, but I elected to paint just the girl. In my mind she is looking wistfully out on the ocean, perhaps just a little timid about getting into the water that looks so inviting. The smooth beach reminds me of Daytona Beach in FL. The reflections there are always great and I love taking pictures of people on the beach there. I would like to know where Karen Jurick got this shot, somewhere along the Atlantic perhaps. It's just a reminder for all you northern folks that summer is just around the corner.

Whimsical Piggy

OK, it's Sunday, time for something whimsical. Several week ends ago, when I was painting at the Gallery, I found a picture of a pig in the newspaper. I thought it was a cute pig as pigs go. So how could I not paint him? Or maybe it was a she. Who knows? Anyway, today I added the fuzzy hairs that were backlit on the photo which was in black and white. I love that because then I can paint my piggy any color I want, so permanent rose (pink) and colbalt blue were the colors of choice with a nice orangy-gold background. Perhaps I should name him Porkchop, (groan).

I hope you have had a restful if not whimsical week end.

A workshop challenge

I had a challenging workshop for four days last week. I think I'm still recovering. I prefer to paint loose and wet, this workshop was just the opposite. I know, I know, why would I do that to myself? I guess I thought it would be good for me to learn something that I wouldn't normally try. It was a portrait workshop. I think I did OK on the projects that we had to paint; it was certainly a steep learning curve for me. I'm posting my attempts if the two portraits that were done by everyone in the workshop. The young girl was done the second day (her face got sort of orange), the old woman the third day of the workshop. The fourth day we painted a picture of our own; I may post that later, we'll see how it turns out.

Painting Pat

I had another day of painting on the dock at WildChild Gallery on Saturday. It was warm and breezy, a delightful day for painting. There were a lot of people out and about enjoying the ambiance of the island and the galleries. I'm reposting the painting of Pat because I found that I had tweaked it a bit. It was painted on Yupo, a slick, plastic painting surface which is not paper. I think I've written about Yupo before but the fun thing about Yupo is that if you don't like something you have painted on it, it is easily wetted and wiped off. On the other hand, you can't build up layers because anything underneath will be removed with the wet brush. Pat and I have Yupo that has been painted on many times, since the old paint can be removed; scrubbed off completely in a sink if you wish. If you want to keep a painting it can be sprayed with a fixative and framed under glass. Pat was sitting next to carved wood pelicans and a yellow cat sculpture.

My Week End

As part of being in the WildChild Gallery on Matlacha (mat-la-shay) FL, artists are asked (required) to demonstrate their painting, potting, basket weaving or whatever their medium at least two week ends a season. This is my week end. I couldn't have a lovelier place to sit and paint for two days. This is what my set up look like before I started painting for the day. I'm sitting on a dock on a canal that leads to Pine Island Bay. It is under a tent so we are sheltered from the sun but we can feel the breeze and enjoy the great view. A good friend and fellow w/c artist, Pat also happened to be on the deck with me and we had a grand time painting on yupo paper. It's an ideal surface to paint on when you have to work on something all day but still be able to chat with the people who come by to observe. It's easily corrected and if you don't like something you can wash it off and do it over. The little picture in the right hand corner is my painting of Pat painting. I think I tweaked it some after I took the picture so look for a better picture on my next blog.

Chess In the Park

Sometimes a painting started with a background and no preconceived idea is a good way to jump start creativity. I started this little painting on a quarter sized sheet of 140 # watercolor paper just as a warm up activity using colors wet on wet with "stuff" laid on it to create texture. When it was damp I did a little stamping and stenciling with checkerboard shapes. When it was it dry and removed the stuff it seemed to say "chess" to me. So I researched some shapes for chess pieces; with those in place I needed something as a center of interest and then I thought of all the scenes of men playing chess in the parks around Europe. This one with the light of a late afternoon sun seemed perfect for the colors in my painting and the tree shape that was made by the stuff that I laid on the wet paint.

Long time no see...

After a week of company, plus a workshop I've been very remiss with my blog. I hope I can post a picture of something I did in the workshop with Bridget Austin in the coming week but for today I'm posting an orchid that a painted awhile ago. I'm inspired by a post by Laura's Watercolors of an orchid. I love painting them; the graceful arch of the stem, the shiny green leaves and the many varieties makes me want to collect them all. Alas, I am not good at keeping them happy. You'd think that being in Florida it would be a "no-brainer" so I keep trying. This one was raised by an expert, a Vietnamese lady who collects many varieties that hang in her trees and are all happy bloomers.

Recycling art

I don't think I'm the only watercolor artist with a portfolio or two filled with unsuccessful paintings. Those who paint on canvas with acrylics or oils can cover part or the whole painting with gesso and begin again. Watercolorists usually end up with a pile of paintings; it could be experimental works, practice, or something started in a class and not completed. Someone once said that you have to paint at least 350 bad paintings. Being and optomist, I don't think most paintings are ALL bad, there may be a little jewel in there somewhere; so I go around my painting with a small plain mat and look for something interesting. If it's a small portion, 3X4 for instance, I can use it on a note card. Each notecard is a mini piece of original, one of a kind art which goes into a clear bag and is sent to the gallery. The best part is, people buy them!

We just completed our annual Art Show and Sale on Pine Island, and what a sale it was! We were holding our fingers crossed as this is our only fund raiser for the year and it was a smash success. We are so grateful that people were still willing to buy local art. Of the things I sold, some I had posted earler in my blogs, the Kingfisher, the Sea Grape Leaves and the little paintings of Useppa Island are all in new homes. One other that I haven't posted and I can't find any pictures of it is a Parrot painting of several that I have painted. I guess I forgot to take a picture of that one. But, I do have a picture of one that is similar so that is the one that is up today. So, now I must get busy and get the brushes wet.

ODE TO MY WIFE THE WATERCOLOR PAINTER

In a short fit of organizing my studio I found this darling poem in with some notes from Jean Grastorf. I just had to share it on my blog this morning.

She learned to paint on Monday,

Her strokes were going fine.

She forgot to thaw our dinner,

So we went out to dine.

She painted trees on Tuesday

She says they are a must.

They really were quite lovely,

But she forgot to dust.

On Wednesday it was daisies,

She says they're really fun.

What lights! What darks!

But the laundry wasn't done.

Her apples were on Thursday,

So juicy, bright and red.

I guess she really was engrossed;

She never nade the bed.

It was violets on Friday

In colors she adores.

It never bothered her at all,

The crumbs on all the floors.

I found a maid on Saturday,

My week is now complete.

My wife can paint the hours away,

The house will still be neat.

Well, it's already Sunday,

But don't call me a saint.

I cursed "!*! I raved, "#!!! I ranted*%##!!!!

The maid has learned to paint!

Anonymous

Banners and Kites

I have another experimental piece to show you. On this one the paper was covered with a product called Watercolor Wash Out Tape. It's a clear tape that will not tear the paper when it is removed. After I covered the paper I used a rotary cutting tool to cut out the banner shapes then I removed them. I could then paint in those spaces while the tape was still on the negative spaces, keeping them white. After the paint was dry, I removed all the remaining tape and decided what needed changing. That was when I decided to add the 3 kite shapes. The yellow streamers were part of the original design. It's a different way of working; we were given the opportunity to use the tape and rotary cutters in the Jean Grastorf workshop.

Pat's Radishes

I paint with a group at Pine Island Art League on Thursday mornings. One member brought freshly picked radishes for a still life painting. They were so interesting (one was huge) with their bright green leaves, red tops and white roots. We shared a piece of Yupo, a "paper" that is plastic and very smooth. It's a challenge to get watercolor to cooperate on it but it's fun because it can be so unpredictable. The other fun characteristic of Yupo is that if you don't like what you have painted, you can put it under the faucet and wash it all off. In fact, the sheet that we cut in half and shared had been painted on several times. So now you have a choice; thumbs up or thumbs down. Should I keep it or put it under the faucet?

Show Time

Here we are in "season" in SW Florida. The snowbirds and tourists are here. The roads are full of traffic, it takes longer to get anywhere. It's also the season for some of the major art shows sponsored by the local art leagues. The Pine Island Art Show and Sale is in the final countdown and will be receiving paintings on the 13th of February. Just a little over a week to go. The painting of sea grapes in today's blog was one that I thought was finished a year or more ago. I had it framed and hanging in WildChild gallery where it languished and was finally brought home. I decided to play with it and used some collage papers on it, added some dark areas and voila! it has new life. I wish I had a picture of the original because then you could see the difference, but I can't find one in my archives so far. I have decided it will be my entry in the Mixed Media division of the Pine Island art show. If it gets a ribbon, I'll let you know.

Daytona Beach Refection

This little girl's picture was taken on Daytona Beach. The sun had set and there was just a pink glow in the horizon that gave a rosey glow to everything. Since Daytona is on the east coast of Florida, the light on the water at sunset is very different than on the west coast where I live. She was just walking along but just as I snapped the picture she bent over to pick up something. It made such and interesting pose to paint with her reflection in the water. The beach there is so smooth and hard and when the water is calmly washing it, the reflections are mirror like.

Blown away

This looks crazy, I know, but I had to try something differnt for the Different Strokes From Different Folks blog. The original picture for everyone to paint was a Victorian house with a wrought iron fence and a bare tree. Instead of painting it just the way it was photographed, I decided to take it apart. What if it was like Dorothy's house being blown away by a tornado to the Land of OZ? So that's what I did and I don't think it's in Kansas (or San Francisco) anymore. It's on the way to a new place, but don't worry Dorothy, there's still a candle burning in the window for you.

The Jefferson Memorial

This dark painting was done using the pouring method, too. I started it in the same workshop as the sunflower painting. I found that pouring was a good way to get the dark night sky in nice an smoothly. The dome of the Jefferson Memorial was masked with friskit after the first pour of light blue and red. I gradually kept masking off the areas until I got to the final dark. I had to paint in the tree shapes with almost straight paint right out of the tube. After taking this picture I noticed that my dome looked rather uneven from the friskit and I went in with a brush to even it out. That ruined the smooth dark sky and I think I would have to remask the dome and pour again to get is smooth again. I'm not sure I'm willing to go through that again, I'm not a big fan of friskit. I did this painting for the blog "Different Strokes From Different Folks" www.differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks.blogspot.com It's so interesting to see how this scene was painted by so many different artists in so many different ways.

I can't believe how quickly the days go by. I finally got my sunflower to the point where I'm sort of happy with it. It took a lot more pouring of pigment than I thought it would to get the dark backgorund that I wanted. Then, when I took the friskit off the petals of the flower, the bright yellow came off with it (just like the instructor said it would). I gave up with more pouring and rewet and painted the petals with a brush, put in some dark areas, touched up the leaves with some green and called it a day. I should have taken pictures of the in between stages but I'm always getting things done late, like right now.

What I do like about the pouring is the luminous quality of the background. The pigments underneath the last burnt umber pour still shine through. I don't think you could get that any other way, except maybe airbrush and I have never tried that.

So, thanks to Jean Grastorf for teaching me a new way to paint.

My first pour

This week I'm taking a workshop from Jean Grastorf, a nationally acclaimed watercolor artist. Jean does very little painting with a brush. She dilutes the pigments in cups of water and pours them on her paper on which she has drawn her picture. So I thought for my blog this week I would post my first pour and hope that by the end of the week I will have that painting finished in order to post the sequence of events.

Love/ hate relationship

I have a white bird of paradise plant. I love the big white bird shaped flowers with the dark purple pods it gets on it's stalks. The contrast of the purple against the bright green stalks is wonderful. But I hate the size of the plant. It grows very tall and sends out baby plants that also grow very tall. It requires constant thinning and since it is growing next to our pool cage we have to make sure it doesn't poke it's way through the screens. When I bought it I thought I was getting an orange bird of paradise; those don't grow tall but they multiply by sending up baby shoots the same way. The orange flowers are on a stem and can be picked for a stunning arrangement, the white ones cannot. They are fun to paint no matter what color they are.

Small paintings of a small island 2

Painting a gazebo is not an easy task, especially when it's only 2.5 inches square. As I look at my photo I think it looks a little "catywumpus". (Is that a real word or something my husband made up?) Anyway, I think it may require a "do over" with more careful drawing. The gazebo seemed to be more ornamental than functional; there were no chairs where one could sit and enjoy the view of the water. It made a nice shady spot and would be a wonderful place to sit and read a book or sip an iced tea.

Small paintings of a small island.

I'm doing a series of very small paintings using a type of watercolor that is opaque; gouache (it rhymes with squash). This scene was from a picture I took on an island off the gulf coast called Useppa. It's a private island but you can get permission to be on the island and have lunch at the hotel if you are not a regular guest. It's very "old Florida" laid back, cute cottages and a little path around the island. This part of the path goes in between a banyan tree. The banyan spreads by sending roots down from the upper limbs. If these tendrils are not cut, the tree will grow immense and choke out other vegitation. This little painting is only 2.5 inches square. It will go in a frame with two other small paintings from the same island. Those will come later.

Happy New Year!

The Dominica canal

I am blessed to live on water. It's man-made water but water, still. It's a 130 ft wide fresh water canal. It's on this canal that we see the kingfishers, osprey, bald eagles, annhingas, and a variety of herons. It's miles of fresh water so you can take a boat out on it as some of our neighbors do, but you can't access the Gulf of Mexico, there are damns that block that. I'm going to try to get an evening shot of the Christmas lights that are across the canal at night. They reflect on the water and they are quite lovely.

The Gift

My friend, Dot, likes to work in clay as well as paint. She throws pots with abandon, she even paints with abandon; which my Spelling Ace defines as "an easy, breezy way of doing things".

She gave me a sugar and cream set for Christmas and they made a perfect set up with a pear for a still life. My first attempt was in wet in wet watercolor, the second in acrylic on wet paper. The acrylics are much more stable and leave hard edges, the watercolors are soft edged, an effect I like very much. Tell me what you think.

Kingfisher sighting

This little guy was sitting on our dock the other day. He looks like such a character with his punk head feathers. He is really fun to watch diving straight into the water. The water quality of the canal is not the greatest, I sure can't see any fish in there but the birds seems to find them anyway. We also see osprey, and anhingas fishing in our back yard. I painted this one wet on dry, I think I'd like to try it wet on wet, a looser approach.

Another idea for a Christmas card

Cardinals are wonderful subjects for Christmas cards. I think they are common birds around the country. We have them here in the more wooded areas. Their bright red feathers are cheerful all year 'round as well has their song that seems to say "pretty, pretty. pretty".