Bright Sunflower

Bright Sunflower

8 X 8 watercolor mounted on wood panel

This is one of three watercolors I have finished  and mounted so that they are ready to wax with Dorland's Wax Medium. This will protect them and give them a soft finish without the glare of glass in a frame. Because there is no costly framing, I can offer them for sale for less expense to me and to the buyer. They are not permitted in the bigger watercolor shows, though. Those still have to be shown under glass or acrylic. 

Lone Turtle

Lone Turtle

Watercolor 16 X 20

I've been enjoying painting these underwater turtle scenes . I start out with a background painting using a lot of texture techniques especially on the bottom. These give me a starting point for the scene I have in mind. I will lay pieces of wax paper, plastic wrap, gauze, tissue paper, rice paper, bubble wrap, or netting into the wet wash and let it dry. This gives me a foundation for all the coral and rocks in the bottom of the painting. The trick is to not do too much or too little. 

The 30 in 30 Challenge starts in February this year. I've signed up for it but it's a very busy month for me with multiple art shows and workshops.  It's time to get organized and have an idea for what I want to work on. Endless possibilities have to be narrowed down. I think the word for the month will be "Focus".

Four, Maybe More

Watercolor on 300# Paper

15 X 22 

On my last post a comment was made to make my image larger. I don't know why I haven't been doing that. So, thanks for the comment and suggestion, Paris Breakfasts! By the way, she is my favorite blogger and one of the reasons I started to blog. She made it look like fun, and it is! 

This painting just started as a random background, I did have an underwater theme in mind but with backgrounds you never know what is going to show up. I was inspired to do turtles, rather fanciful turtles in glorious color. It was a fun painting to do.

I found I loved working this way on 300# paper! It is so forgiving and easy to change and rework. It's funny how you get stuck in doing things the same way just because that's the way you were originally taught or have done it. I've always done these backgrounds on 140# paper in the past and still have some to finish but in the future I think I'll work this way on 300# paper.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow bloggers and readers. Keep on creating! 

Travel Postcards

Scenes Along the Rhine River

Two weeks ago we were on the Rhine River in Germany. We tried a river cruise for the first time and I loved it! Most days we were at a port city and we were out touring or exploring, but one of the days was a cruise day so that we could see all the picturesque towns and castles from the river. It was a glorious day and when I had my fill of castle picture taking I got out my little travel paint kit and did some very quick postcard sketches. I had to take a mental picture and work quickly because there was no time to think about details or perspective. I think they keep the trees trimmed so that a view of the river can be seen, thus the cute "lolly-pop" trees. I used a postcard pad, Intense pencils, waterproof pen, and a  Winsor and Newton watercolor travel kit. 

Out of Sight

Handsome Rooster

6.5 X 9.75 Mixed media

"Out of sight, out of mind" the saying goes. It was true in my case. I grabbed and old painting block from my art closet on my way to an open painting session at our local art league. When I opened it, there was this rooster staring at me with unfinished eyes and beak. Poor thing has been languishing for so long I don't even remember starting it. I laugh about getting old and forgetful, I guess this must be proof. His lovely red comb and wattle has collage as well as some collage on his white feathers. He is drawn with ink and painted with watercolor. I finished the piece with a light yellow-green background. 

The Third in Bird Series

Green Heron

Mixed media 11 X 15

This is my third bird on a charcoal pour since learning the technique in Karen Knutson's  class a few months ago. Getting a good charcoal pour is trickier to achieve than I thought. I got a good photo of this bird while waiting for a tour boat to take us out to Cabbage Key one day last spring. Don't ask me why he's called a green heron, I don't see any green on him either! Except for his beak and eyes he is all collage paper attached with acrylic matte medium. The post he is resting on is also collage papers. I used a variety of printed papers and napkins and even some birch bark in the post. It's a different style from the heat fused collages that I do. All the rest is watercolor and, of course, the charcoal that remains on the paper after being splashed with water. 

I wanted to make the technique work on a Florida scene and I think I've accomplished that. I look forward to trying to paint and collage some more birds from my area using this method. 

Painting a Landscape on a Charcoal Pour

Farm and Fields

Watercolor on Charcoal 11 X 15

Although she didn't teach this in her workshop when I took it, I decided I could look at her paintings and try one for myself. I borrowed a farm photo from a friend and tried to find a good size and place for it on my last charcoal pour that I had from Karen Knutson's workshop. When I was finished, I thought that the barn was a little small and overwhelmed by the rest of the painting so, once again, I'm thinking of cropping it.

Farm and Fields 

8 X 14

I think this makes the barn stand out a little better. I'm thinking I may have used too many colors as well but it's hard to get away from colorful paintings for me. I think it's because it's always so sunny and bright here in SW Florida. Also, I forgot to leave white spaces. I will try this again, I don't usually do landscape paintings but this was really fun to do.

Finally Home

Summer Bouquet

Watercolor 11 X 15

August was a month of travel seeing friends and family "out west and up north". It was good to get away and be out of the heat and humidity for awhile. In between trips I worked on this little watercolor, first laying in a very wet background of cobalt blue, quinacridone gold and opera rose, and some salt for a little texture. After it was dry and days later I found flowers and a vase in it that needed to be further revealed. I probably worked on it over a period of 6 weeks, whenever I was back in town and finished it last week. Well, maybe it's finished, we'll see.

Still Life, New Product

Orchid 1

Watercolor 5.5 X 6.5

Orchid 2

Watercolor 4.5 X 6.5

I was so excited that my orchids were blooming for a second time that I just had to try painting it. It's quite tiny, white with purple speckles. I could have protected the white areas and tried to splatter paint from my brush to make the speckles but I thought an easier way would be to use a new product that I recently bought. It's Brusho Crystal Colors. It's a powdered watercolor that comes in little plastic jars. You can punch a hole in the top of the container and shake the pigment out like a salt shaker. So, I wet the area where I wanted the purple and shook a little onto it. Voila! I had my speckled orchids. Then I could go in with my brush and make the petals and the centers. Of course you get a little bit of pigment outside of your wet area which you can blow away or make into a light wash. I did both. The purple pigment was a combination of red and blue so it made a nice range of color in the flower. The yellow in the top painting was from a spray bottle with a little powdered yellow pigment and water. Like instant sunshine. 

A Watercolor Workshop

On February 18, 19 and 20 I took a watercolor workshop with a wonderful watercolorist, Maggie Mc Clellen. Painting someone else's subject in their style and mode of painting is always a learning experience, especially when the style of painting is a little different from your own. I always enjoy it, even if it does stretch me. For a painter you can't complain about 3 days of doing something you love. The first day we watched Maggie's manner of painting as she demonstrated painting an old fishing boat. Then we attempted to do the same. At the end of the day I had my version, and Maggie had hers. And that's why she's the teacher and I'm not! Still, for a first time, it's an acceptable painting. If you are not learning anything, why attend a workshop?

My boat painting

Watercolor 15X22

Maggie Mc Clellen's painting

Watercolor 15 X 22

Summertime Slow Down

Matlacha Mangroves

Watercolor on Masa paper, 10 X 14

It's hot, it's rainy, it's summertime in Florida. It's a good time to slow down and take it easy. A time to travel to cooler places and it you can't do that, you stay inside and read, play on the internet and maybe paint a little. I've been doing very little painting but the elephant painting is coming along. I'm taking my time with it and enjoying the process. There is no pressure of a deadline of a show to enter. 

I enjoy working on the Masa paper because sometimes the painting just seems to paint itself, especially if you do a landscape. You wet the paper and then crinkle it leaving a little space that's not crinkled; then you smooth it on an absorbent surface like a towel or piece of felt. The next step is to lightly wash over the wrinkled areas with a soft brush and India ink, black, brown or both as I did. It's glued to watercolor paper using a special flour based wallpaper paste and a brayer to get a good adhesion. At this point I let it dry, but you could continue to work on it. I wasn't going for mangroves but that's what appeared when I started to add color. 

Inspired by Monet

Monet's Pond

Watercolor 11 X 15

If you are an artist, travel to France and go to Giverny to see Monet's Garden it seems like you are almost required to paint the pond and the famous bridge. It's such a complex scene that you can easily get caught up in the details. Photos seem to capture every one and it can be confusing. I tried to keep it simple and not too busy. I am pleased with my first attempt now that I am finished. I'm ready to try another one of a different view of the same pond.

Day 28--Shell Collector

Shell Collector

Watercolor, 7.5 X 11

This is a common sight on our beaches which are full of sea shells. The shells are so pretty and unique it's hard not to get involved with searching for the perfect specimen. Even when you've been here a long time like I have they are hard to resist. It's always amazing how many varieties, colors and sizes there are. Our Creator's imagination far surpasses mine. After a couple dozen I think I would have said, "That's enough." and quit. 

I enjoyed this picture for the light and shadows, and the shoreline. I had some fun with iridescent medium in the water which does not show up in the reproduction. 

Only 2 days left in the 30 Days Challenge and I actually have a couple of left over collages. When I do them, I do several at a time and pick out the ones that interest me the most. So, we'll be back to collage tomorrow. See you then.

Day 13 Red Reflections

Red Reflections

Watercolor 9 X 12

For day 13 of the 30 in 30 Day Challenge I did another watercolor. It was the reflections on the water that captured my attention when I looked at this red sailboat. Red is like that isn't it? It demands to be noticed. I was at a marina outside of a restaurant where we were having lunch. The line in the background is the bridge over the Caloosahatchi which connects Ft Myers, FL and Cape Coral. It's a very scenic spot to have lunch looking at the boats on the river which flows into the Gulf of Mexico. This time of year the traffic is pretty sparse but in the winter it's very busy with visitors and snow birds. 

I used masking fluid to protect the white on the sailboats, dock and water, something I don't usually do but there's no other way to get around the light areas of railing and deck top. For the clouds, I dampen the paper and just paint around them, that way some of the edges are soft. We are almost to the halfway point in the Challenge, I hope I make it to the end.

Day 12 A Watercolor Day!

 Rainy Season

Watercolor 7 X 10

One neat thing about doing a painting a day for 30 days is that you can try things that you've always wanted to try but haven't. I've wanted to try to paint rain for a long time. Summer time is the rainy season in Florida, we see a lot of rain storms, usually in the afternoon. The wind will blow, there will be thunder and lightening and the rain will come down in buckets for 10 minutes to an hour. Then, it's done. 

For this little painting I painted the palms first and let them dry, then I made a big puddle of gray-blue paint and painted over the palm trees with a big brush with one swipe so that I didn't move the palm paint too much. Then I spattered and spritzed clear water to make the dots and drips. After that dried I enhanced the drips and drops with white and blue paint.

Lost and Found

Purple Mountains

7 X 10 Watercolor

Have you ever "lost" a painting and then found it years later? I found some magazines from 2001 in the bottom of a drawer, and I began looking through them. In the back of one of them was this painting. Obviously, it was painted during one of my trips west, I'm not sure which one. I thought it was a fun little painting and so typical of the sunset scenes one sees in Arizona,  or New Mexico. Usually I date my pictures that I paint away from home and keep them as a diary of my trips, but this one wasn't dated. The only thing I have to go by is the date on the magazines. 

Two Pots for Potts, Watecolor

We had a wonderful week with our friends in Maine last week. The weather went from cloudy to pouring down rain and then glorious sunshine. I had a chance to use my little travel painting kit and paint a quick picture of my friend's flowers that were on her table. It's been awhile since I've done just a simple watercolor and it was so fun and relaxing. She was delighted to have it as a reminder of our visit. I have some more ideas for painting scenes from Maine so keep checking in on me. 

Lion's Gate-Jerusalem, Israel

                                          Lion's Gate-Jerusalem 

Watercolor, 15X22

I finished the painting that I started in the workshop but I finished it mostly in my own method.  I did try to use some of the new things I learned in the workshop such as paint strength and color blending. In the end I tend to go back to what I know best. I'm sure I will incorporate what I learned into my work. I love my sable brushes now that I know how to use them and using soft paint is so much easier than digging out diluted paint from a hard, dry palette. 

The photo that I used was from our trip to Israel several years ago. The gate was built in the 1500's and is also called St Stephen's gate. It is believed that Stephen was martyred outside that gate area. Of course the gate to the city in those days has been long gone and this gate is "new". It's a double gate, and leads to the old city with buildings beyond. It's called Lion's gate because of the lion figures carved on each side of the gate. 

Eve's Garden

                                     Eve's Garden Watercolor 15X 22

I've been working on this painting for several weeks; it's one of those painting that is hard to stop, you want to keep on adding and subtracting. I was still putting in finishing touches on it today as I was framing it. Once I get it in the frame I have to say it's done. I started this as an experiment on the back of another painting on 300# paper. I laid tissues, rice paper, coffee filters and other papers on the top, wet it a little and then poured watercolor on the papers so that it would soak through to the watercolor paper. It got really wet so I soaked up the excess water by rolling a roll of paper towels over it. Then I let it dry. I took the papers off and then decided by the shapes that were on the painting what to paint next. I started with the flowers on the left, put the figure in next to that and surrounded her with fruit and vegetables. Notice, she's not working in her garden but basking in the bounty and not a weed in sight.

Geranium Card

                              Geranium Card and envelope, watercolor.

While I was painting outside the other day I also did a painting of my brave little geranium plant. I call it brave because it came through the summer even though it was sorely neglected. Before I left Florida for the summer I put it in it's pot in the landscaping where it would get irrigation and rain whenever it was provided. Geraniums don't like wet feet so they don't usually make it through the summer here. But, this one did. It looked pretty awful, scrawny stems and tiny leaves. So, I watered and fertilized and even though the leaves are still small it is blooming like crazy! It adds a pop of color to my lanai and it deserves being painted onto a card.