Doing Fun Things- Day 2

                            Quilt Squares with a leaf motif 5X5


This is, for me, the fun stuff. I love adding collage elements to paintings. The second day of our workshop we were to start with an abstract design, do an under-painting and then add our collage elements. One of the elements was to be a skeleton leaf or two. These are natural leaves that have been treated so that just the veins remain and then they are coated with something to give them either a metallic or plain color. What gives these works "punch" is the dark areas that lead the eye to the subject. The class had great fun exchanging art papers and colored napkins to use in our future collages.

Quilt Abstracts

                                     Two Quilt Squares    

In the afternoon of the first day of our workshop with Karen Knutson we developed our abstracts into 5X5 squares. These are designed to be framed separately, hung together but are not diptychs. You could make as many squares as you like as long as they are related in color and design. My designs reminded me of a Southwest or Native American motif. The thumbnails above show the design that I was working from; the colored square is a section from a magazine advertisement that I used for my design turned and used in different directions. This is the springboard for the design, the rest is all imagination. It's a good way to get a start on your abstract design but the formulas for design that you find in design books seem to work the best for me.

Four Day Workshop- Day One

This week I had a four day workshop with Karen Knutson in her home studio. The first day we were to make some abstract studies using magazines to locate little abstracts with a 1 inch view finder. Once we found one we liked we used it to make our little studies which were colored with Prismacolor or Tombow markers. For our colors we were to use a picture of a room from a decorator magazine and notice how there were punches of color in a fairly neutral setting. The room I chose had tans for the neutral colors and punches of blue with accents of shades of orange. Complements! How clever! These were my studies, or thumbnails. They are each 3X3 inches.
Karen also challenged us to do one 30 minute thumbnail like this everyday in a dedicated sketchbook. Am I up to the challenge? Time will tell.

Oregon Cherries

                                                 Oregon Cherries

We visited our daughter and son-in-law in Oregon over the Independence Day holidays. It was a delightful trip with fine weather and views of the surrounding mountains every day. The cherry trees are full of cherries this time of year and are too beautiful not to paint. I managed to pick a bunch with some of the leaves for a little still life painting. I love painting cherries and these with the leaves were an interesting change from the cherries in crystal that I painted last time. I started with yellow and added reds while it was still wet to mingle the colors being careful to leave the little highlights. For the leaves I also started with  yellow and added greens and blues and let them mingle with the yellow.

I painted something!

I know, it's not my usual painting format, but I finally had a brush in my hand. Ever since coming to Minnesota for the summer I've had one excuse or another for not starting a painting. This excuse was a class in making concrete leaf shaped table tops which I attended with a friend. The wet concrete was pressed onto a rhubarb leaf and allowed to dry overnight. After the leaf was removed the concrete was painted by my friend and me. I had a brush in my hand and it felt good! So, today I got my paints out and wet, I'm ready to go. I hope I soon have something else to show you.

Granddog

                                                 Klyde-watercolor

I've been trying to paint Klyde for several months. I'll work on him a little and then go on to something else. He showed up again during my annual organizing of art things to take on the trek up north for the summer. I think I need some more practice with painting animals, it's not something I do very often. There's a trick to getting the fur to look furry, and the expression to be just right. I'll get a chance to try another picture this summer because he's my "granddog" and he will be visiting. The fun thing about dachshunds is that they stay puppy-like for a long time. I've always enjoyed their unique personality. It will be awhile before I can post again, but I hope to do some little paintings on our travels and have something to post when we are set up.
I'll be back on blogger in a couple of weeks.

Coneflower with Butterfly

                             Coneflower With Butterfly, 2x4, W/C pencil

By making small paintings with my watercolor pencil I can fullfill my obligations to my various art leagues for the miniature donations each year. It's such good practice for a new medium. It seems that most artists that use the pencils tend to keep the works small, under 8X10. I'm still finding it difficult adding darks after the initial layers have been put down. I find that the under layers seem to get picked up if I try to add wet pigment to the top.  I may try to mix regular watercolor with the pencils for an expanded range of values. I think I will enjoy using the pencils when I travel because of the need to simplify my what I carry. There's no need to worry about liquids when you carry pencils.

Mangos II

                                   Mangos II, 3x5, watercolor pencil

This time I used a smooth paper, Vellum Bristol paper, to work on. I liked it better than the cold press I used for the last picture. It was easier to get a smooth look and to diminish the look of the pencil strokes. I decided to paint fewer leaves; I felt they cluttered the background and detracted from the simple mango shapes. I also left the background white which for this small format is OK. On a larger composition I would probably have added one.
I'm starting to get the hang of how much pigment to use and how to layer the colors for the effect that I want. I'm finding that after a few layers, the paper seems to be "full" and it's difficult to add anymore pigment unless it is added with a wet brush. That's something  that pastelists complain about, paper without enough "tooth". I think trying different papers and materials is consistent with any medium that one chooses to work with. It's what makes the whole process enjoyable.

Watercolor Pencil learning curve

                         Sun Dappled Mangos 4x6 watercolor pencil


This is my first attempt at a whole picture using watercolor pencils. It's an experiment, I haven't really learned the way to proceed with the pencils. So it's pretty much trial and error. The top mango blended much better than the bottom one. I tried burnishing the bottom mango before using a wet brush. Burnishing bruises the paper and makes it difficult to blend the colors with water. So, that was lesson #1. I haven't quite got the hang of how to get soft edges, I'm hoping to figure that out. I've got to wait until Monday for my next class. I think I could have painted this in less than half the time with just watercolors and a brush, and I found myself just taking the pigment off the pencil with the brush and applying it to the paper.

Watercolor pencils

                             Exercise #1, watercolor pencils

I'm taking a class in watercolor pencils. Although I've had them for many years I've only used them slightly. I thought this class would give me some ideas for how they can be used effectively in my art work. We spent most of the class time making color charts with the pencils that we had, diluting them with water, and basically just seeing how they work. The homework assignment was to make spheres in squares. The primary colored spheres with the complimentary color as the background square and the shadow a combination of the two. All of these were finished by wetting with a brush. They are really much more versatile than I thought they would be.

Quick Geraniums

                      Quick Geraniums 5.5X7, watercolor on gesso paper.


I've been frustrated lately with the paintings I've been working on. It seems like they just aren't coming out the way that I'd hoped they would. Sometimes I just have to put the big stuff aside and do something small and quick. This afternoon I brought a geranium pot into my studio and painted it on a little piece of paper that had been textured with the "gesso juice". The painting looks like more pot that flower but you should have seen that poor little geranium before it got some TLC and fertilizer! Doing paintings like these puts the joy back into painting for me. I was about to change my name to "strugglingartist" instead of "joyfulartist".

Nasturtium II

                                              Nasturtium II, 7x7 Watercolor


This is the second nasturtium study I did last week. This week I worked on a larger painting of nasturtiums since my friend brought in more flowers. It seems like there's a loss of "freshness" with each subsequent painting. Why is that? Wouldn't you think that the more you do the better you'd get at it? Perhaps the trick is to keep changing the view or the light the way that Monet painted the haystacks. I would be interested to know if other artists paint the same subject but change something about it.

I hope all my fellow bloggers and blog readers have a very blessed Easter!

Quick Nasturtiums

                                       Nasturtiums, watercolor, 7x7

A fellow artist brought a little vase of nasturtiums from her garden for a still life painting. I decided to join her in painting them. I set up a larger painting and while I was waiting for the background to dry I did a couple of quick paintings for practice and to get the feel of the flowers. This is the first of the two paintings and I think the better of the two. I did it in three stages, the initial loose laying in of color and form with no drawing first, after that dried I added some darker areas in the flowers. Lastly a few shadows. I didn't want to loose the freshness by getting too detailed. It's always interesting to me that these little warm ups, or less serious paintings turn out to be so pleasing. I need to do more of these small quick paintings, I really enjoy them.

Paris

Paris, watercolor photo, 5x7

I did another watercolor photograph. This time from my favorite foreign city, Paris. It was printed on watercolor paper in black and white and then painted. The trees came out so dark that it was difficult to get them to look green like they did in the colored photo but it still has that antique postcard look that I really like. Except for the modern cars and dress of the tourists it could almost pass for one. This is fun and quick, almost instant gratification except for the hours it takes me to look through my photos, choose and edit one for painting. The painting part is always the fun part.

Watercolored Photo

Victoria and Albert Museum Courtyard, mixed media, 12x12

I found this idea in the July/August 2010 issue of Sommerset Studio magazine. The article was by Angela Cartwright. She explained how she printed black and white photos on watercolor paper, painted them with watercolors and then mounted them on canvas boards or wrapped canvas. I thought they looked interesting to do, so I set about trying it. I found a picture I had taken on a trip to London. It's from the courtyard of the Victoria and Albert Museum. I didn't have the watercolor paper that is manufactured for printing in a home printer but I did have some Aquarius II, 80#, by Strathmore. I cut it the size of printer paper and printed out my black and white photo. Painting it was a dream because the Aquarius paper doesn't buckle or pucker from water, the photo already had the dark and light areas. Once painted it reminded me of old postcards before color film. The canvas was prepared by painting it lightly with green/gold acrylic and then wiping on a cream white after it was dry. When that was dry I attached the picture to the canvas with matte medium, coating under and on top of the picture being sure that all the edges were secure. The next day I decided a little gold paint rubbed in a random way around the painting would be fun to try. I will probably coat the whole thing again with a UV protective varnish.
I've tried to add a link to Angela's web site. I hope it works. www.acartwrightstudio.com/alteredparadox.htm.

Yellow Crested Night Heron

Yellow Crested Night Heron, watercolor on acrylic, 11x15

This handsome fellow hangs out near the gallery where I was painting. He was trying his best to convince his "lady" that he was really the one she should choose. He shows his long yellow crest feathers and brings twigs and sticks for a nest. He looked quite sincere. They flew away before we found out what the ending to the courtship would be. They are very striking in appearance, with their black heads and white spot and yellow crest. I painted it on one of my watercolor papers that had been coated with the gesso juice and then had a pale olive green wash on top of that. The dark green background is supposed to hint at the denseness of the mangroves they like to sit in.

Sea Grape Leaves II

Sea Grape Leaves II, 11x15, Mixed Media

So I had to go and do some adjustments after looking at this painting on the easel for awhile. I decided I wanted a little bit of the yellow on the right side and to add some shadows to make the leaves look more individual. Working on paper that has gesso on it is similar to working on Yupo. What watercolor is on the paper can be lifted so easily if you try to paint something on top of it. Even with paint on your brush it tends to go to the white of the paper instead of putting color down. It's a learning curve for sure. The advantage is that if I don't like the changes, I can try to take them out and replace the original color. But, you still have to problem of taking it down to the white of the paper. The whole thing is an experiment at this point. Do you think it worked?

My Time at the Gallery

Sea Grape Leaves 11x15 Watercolor over gesso-paper with collage.

This is one of my favorite subjects to paint. I love the way the Sea Grape leaves become such a range of colors from dark green to orange, yellow and red. I painted this while at an outdoor set up at the Wildchild Gallery in Matlacha Florida. We had pretty nice weather, the temperature was in the low 80's F. About 28 C. There was a nice breeze most of the time and very bright sunshine. The 7 artists all had big umbrellas for shade so we were quite comfortable.

This paper had a coat of the gesso juice that I mentioned in an earlier blog. It seemed to work well with the subject since it also had a layer of multi color watercolor as an under painting. I put a little bit of calligraphy collage in a few places just to add a little mystery to the painting. I had nice comments by folks who were visiting the gallery about the paintings I had on display which makes it all worth while.

I'm Still Here

Passages, Abstract 1, 11x 15 watercolor

I'm still here, I'm still painting but it seems like I'm not finishing things, just starting things. This abstract was started in Kathleen Conover's workshop but, of course, I've had to fiddle it to death. Abstracts are like that for me; I'm never quite sure when I've finished. I think I've got this painting where I want it after adding and subtracting for the last two weeks.

I had a demonstration week end at the Wildchild Gallery so I painted for two days straight and have nothing to show for it. It's hard, no, impossible, to keep your concentration when you are having to interact with people who come by. One is expected to "schmooze", I'm not too good at that but I try. It's fun to meet and talk with people but I can't make any art that is worth the name while I'm doing it. I have another such week end coming up this Friday and Saturday. So, if anyone has any ideas of how they paint and converse I'd like to hear how they do it. Sometimes I paint on yupo because I can wipe it off and start over and not feel like I'm wasting too much. I can do the same with paper that has gesso on it and that is something that is interesting to the people who come by and only know traditional watercolor.

Mixed Media Heron

Mixed Media Heron 11x15

I'm finally back to posting. Not only was my bout with the crud long, I had a 4 day workshop in the middle of it. I didn't want to forfeit my payment for it so I dragged myself into the studio and did what I could. There was a day of sort of messing around with acrylics on fresh paper and old paintings. We learned different ways of getting a variety of textures on the paper which would be our under painting. After that there was a lot of emphasis on composition and design. It seems like that has to be drilled into my head on a regular basis because I get these neat under paintings and then I don't know how to develop them into art that really works. I think I work more intuitively but that is so unreliable. I'd like to be able to make a plan and stick to it. Anyway, this heron painting was one of the paintings that came out of the four days. This was done over an old painting and coat of "gesso juice" (1 part liquid gesso, 1 part matte medium, and 2 parts water), textured with a plastic card. The dark blue background is thick watercolor, the heron is gesso juice and watercolor. The workshop instructor was Kathleen Conover. www.kathleenconover.com Look her up, she does very interesting work and I found her to be a wonderful teacher.

When Life Gives You Lemons

When Life Gives You Lemons, 11.5x15, watercolor.

This is another still life that I set up and photographed. I love blue and yellow together and I thought this might be a challenging subject to paint. I was right on that! I don't know how the lemon drop jar got a little lopsided but it did. Except for that I like the results. It was done with the same techniques that I learned doing the cherry paintings. The colors are blended on the paper which is 300 lb. cold press. I finished this painting several weeks ago and wasn't going to post it because of the slightly tipsy results but since I have the "crud" that has been going around it sort of describes how I feel; a little tipsy and full of lemons (I drink a lot of hot honey and lemon water). I admire people who can paint when they don't feel well, unfortunately I'm not one of them. I'll know I'm getting better when I feel like picking up the paint brush again.

More Cherries

Cherries and Crystal 11x15 watercolor and acrylic

I had to paint some more cherries in a crystal bowl after learning the technique from Ann Abgott last month. I set up my own still life and photographed it from different angles to try to get a good composition. I assumed this is easy when I started, but I soon find out that it's not! After a lot of trail and error I came up with a photo that I liked and printed it out. Then it was off to the printer to get an enlargement to work from. I did several set ups so that I wouldn't have to keep making trips. I have worked on this over 3 or 4 weeks with a Karlyn Holman workshop in between. I find it really helps to do your own painting after learning something new; it helps those newly formed brain cells to stay in place. Now I'm thinking of combining the two different styles of painting. "I wonder what would happen if..." is one of my favorite questions.

A Pot of Spring

Spring Tulips, Watercolor, 7 1/2 x 11

I saw this pot of tulips at the grocery store and they were too tempting to resist. What a wonderful reminder that spring is coming. We don't grow tulips in southern Florida, it just doesn't get cold enough for the bulbs. But, we can enjoy the potted tulips that are available every spring. I like them better than the cut ones because they last long enough for me to get around to painting them. If you want them to last you have to buy them with the buds still hidden in the leaves and have faith that they will spring up to be lovely blooms. Only one was blooming when I bought them but a couple of days later I have five flowers and the first flower is already beginning to close. It seems a short window of opportunity but so worth it.

Experimenting With Bright, Bold Backgrounds

I've found some old paintings to experiment with. I'm putting bright, bold backgrounds in to see if it's a good way to perk up a dull painting. All of them had rather wimpy backgrounds before but I didn't think to take a "before' picture. The poinsettia had an especially pale blue background and I think the bright background has really perked it up. These paintings are small but I think the bright backgrounds is an effective way to call some attention to them.

A Few Adjustments

Iris, 15x22

I made a few adjustment to the Iris painting. I toned down the dark streak on the left side and the stenciling in the corners. I used a watersoluble Neocolor II by Caran d'arche. These are like opaque crayons that are watersoluble and work well to mute areas that need adjusting. I used a white and pale pink and smeared them with a damp brush. I made some highlights in other areas in the same way but they are hard to distinguish on this small photo. I also added some collage calligraphy and a butterfly on the right to repeat the bright pink on the left. The changes are subtle but I'm happy with the results.

Three Paintings In Three Days

Poppies 11x11Iris 15x22Calla Lilies 15x15

I have been a very busy painter this week. I had a three day workshop with Karlyn Holman. You have to be a fast painter to keep up with her program. She has lots of ideas and the learning is on a pretty steep curve. To make things move along quickly she provides the drawing so that you can get to the fun part of painting and collage. Everyone had their choice of flower subject but the process was the same in each lesson. The Calla Lilly lesson was to paint an interesting background with different width of vertical stripes while still having a dominant color direct the eye through the painting. In this case it was the red. After the background was in the subject was painted.

The second painting was the Iris. The background was also painted first in bright colors with collage papers added to the wet paint. Some stenciling was done while the paper was wet. The stencil was placed on the paper and watercolor pencil was sanded over it to create the colored area. After drying the collage papers were glued and allowed to dry again. Then the rectangle behind the iris was drawn and painted. When this was dry the iris were painted alternating light and dark.

The third painting was the Poppy painting. The object of this lesson was to create a path of light behind the subject. You made a plan of how you wanted to accomplish this and then you followed the same steps as the previous paintings; paint, collage papers, stenciling, drying, gluing, then painting the subject. It's fun to come home from a workshop with 3 paintings that are mostly completed. Now that I'm looking at them after a couple of days I can see some areas where I could adjust some of the colors. With watercolors it's amazing what you can correct, but that's a secret. Most people think you can't correct watercolors so "shhhhh" it just between us.

Blue bird

This is the second little bird I did with the "Burridge method". I put the watercolor on first and the acrylic after it was dry. I've done quite a few since I started this technique and they aren't photographed yet. I've had more fun cutting up old watercolors and slapping on acrylic paint. It feels awfully good to have those paintings that didn't quite work all covered up. I even tackled some old canvas boards. There is something freeing about playing with materials that aren't pristine. You don't get that, "white paper, now what do I do?" feeling. I keep looking at a sentence out of the book Art and Fear by Bayles and Orland that I have posted over my desk, "The function of the majority of your artwork is to simply train you how to make the small portion that soars." That's what I'm doing, I'm in training.

Colorful Bird

One of my last posts I resolved to paint at least 10 minutes a day. Then a sudden death in the family changed that plan. The first week of the year changed our lives and our plans. But, we know that God is in control and we can trust Him completely with our lives and our loved ones.

Needless to say, I've been in a bit of a funk and not in the state of mind to paint. Then, thanks to Nancy at Adventures With Paint I learned of the web site for Robert Burridge, www.robertburridge.com . He is so enthusiastic about painting and shows such a simple way of making something out of nothing that I just had to try it. I threw some watercolor paint on some small pieces of paper and let it dry overnight then I painted with acrylic the negative space around a bird shape. There will be more of these to come, they are way too much fun. Give it a try.

A Nightingale Sang

A Nightingale Sang 15x15 Acrylic Collage

Happy New Year to all! I finally got my last finished painting photographed and ready to place on my blog. It's another acrylic collage that sort of evolved. I have one thing planned and then it keeps getting modified and rethought until I like it and decide it's finished (for now). The bird that is collaged into the painting is probably not a nightingale but the painting made me think of the song. In the lyrics there is a reference to the moon so I thought it fit. It was fun putting it all together and getting the colors to where I wanted them.

I went back in my blogging history and discovered that the anniversary of starting my blog had passed without comment. I found that I started on December 11, 2008! Wow, how time flies. I may have to do a painting with "tempest fugit" to commemorate the event.

I don't usually make resolutions anymore; life seems to interfere with resolutions. But, be it resolved: I will paint at least 10 minutes every day! Surely 10 minutes is achievable!

Holidays

I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas! Ours was a wonderful family gathering in Arizona at our son's house. There has been no painting, not even a wet brush! I'll try to get back to it soon, I miss my brush and paint time.
A special thanks to all who have commented on my paintings over the year. It really means a lot to me to have your feedback.

Second Day Workshop Painting

White Pelicans, watercolor, 15X15

This was the painting we did the second day using the color mingling techniques we learned on the first day. The subject was more complicated, especially the water which was quite a challenge. I ended up cropping the right side of the painting which was just more water since I had eliminated the far right pelican on the original. It was a wonderful subject to paint and I really appreciate the great reference photos that Ann Abgott allowed us to use for our paintings. I thought it would be fun to paint some swans that I had photographed and when I looked at my pictures, I didn't have the wonderful shadows on them like these pelicans had. So much of reference photography is being at the right place at the right time. I also set up some still life scenes to photograph and found out how tricky that is as well. Light source and shadows make all the difference.

Workshop, Third Day

Bowl of Cherries 15x11

I haven't finished the painting for the second day so I'm skipping to the third day painting which I just completed. I've always looked at crystal bowl paintings as just too detailed for me but once I got into it I must admit, I got hooked. It's amazing that just with leaving white in the right places you give the illusion of sparkling glass. I think I may have to try this again with my own set up.

The background was done the same way as in the previous pear painting except that this time I used silver gesso to stamp on the background with added dark greens. I think I would be less heavy handed with the silver next time around.

A special thanks goes to Anne Abgott who was so generous with her time and supplies during our workshop. You can find her at http://www.anneabgott.com

Second Workshop Painting

Two Pears 7 1/2" x 11"

In this painting we used what we learned about mingling colors. The pears were painted first using a yellow as the first color and then adding the appropriate colors while still wet. As long as the paper is wet you can add and blend the colors until you get what you want. The blemishes on the pears were added last with thick paint while there was still some dampness. Since the paint was applied without much water it didn't make a back-run or blossom. That was really a revelation to me. The back ground was made by stamping gold acrylic gesso liberally with a rubber stamp. After this was dry, we applied fairly thick paint the consistency of heavy cream in alternating shades of red and mineral violet for the really dark. These mingled together and I think made a really nice effect. When that was dry we could go back with a slightly damp paper towel and rub over the gold to reveal it's shine. We also added the shadows of the pears.

Workshop with Ann Abgott

Our first lesson with Ann Abgott was to learn her method for putting down color. She prefers to mingle her colors on the paper instead of premixing them in the palette. This gives a very nice, lively affect especially with shadow shapes as this painting shows. We worked on 300# Arches paper with wet puddles of paint which, when applied to the paper mingled in quite a beautiful way. I could go into this painting and darken the shadows and define the man and bench more clearly but since this was an exercise in mingling the colors I think I shall leave it as it is. I think I will incorporate this technique into my paintings from now on. More of what we did in the workshop will follow later. Wouldn't it be fun to paint a turkey this way?

Fun With Mixed Media

Heart of Gold, Mixed Media/Collage, 22x15

I have worked on this piece for quite a long time. I'd put it away for awhile and then get it out and work on it some more. I don't know how many times I've added and subtracted from it. It was always a little distraction in the back of my mind and studio. I think we should call these distracts instead of abstracts. It has a lot of texture in it with stringy papers, lumpy papers, printed papers and a little 3-D paint; things that I love to play with. I have to be careful to not fill it up with too much, it's far to easy to do. I found the words from a song that seemed to go with it since I found some hearts in it which I painted with gold paint. These paintings are always learning tools for me; building blocks for future paintings.

Ipanima

Ipanima, watercolor and ink

The mention of Ipanima just conjures up such thoughts of a lovely beach with lovely ladies looking "straight ahead, not at me". I painted this for the Virtual Paint Out this month which is in Rio De Janero, Brazil. It took a little hunting for me to find Ipanima and what a charming looking place it is. All along the street side there are these cute refreshment stands with tables and umbrellas for their customers. I liked this one because of the coconuts piled in front of the stand. Are they serving rum drinks out of the coconut shells, or are they just selling the coconut milk and flesh?
Way down on the waters edge are the lines of beach umbrellas and sunbathers. It looks like quite a walk on the sand to get there, but no matter. From the pictures that I saw along the beach there is quite a crowd, not unlike the crowd you'll see here on the beaches in Florida during spring break. There's just something about a beach and water that is so inviting.

Purple Artichokes

Purple Artichokes 15x22, framed to 22x28

So, it's finally declared finished! I don't think I've ever procrastinated as long on any painting as I have on this one. I have signed it and framed it so I will have to stop puttering with it. The photo doesn't show the greens off very well, but it's pretty close with everything else.

Perhaps now that I'm at home in my little home studio I will be more regular with painting and posting. It seems like the summers in Minnesota throw me off the painting schedule. I find it difficult to paint consistently when there is a lot of activity going on around me. Does everyone have that problem? Has anyone found a way to shut out the activities around you and still paint? What works for you?

Blue Heron on Green Pond

I'm back in Florida painting Florida pictures. I guess a blue heron can be found just about anywhere in the summer, though. This is a little 3.5" x 5" acrylic on canvas painting that will be a donation to our local art league for fund raising. I enjoy painting these birds very much, as you can tell by the number of them that I have posted.
I've been getting settled, again, and getting the cupboards and refrigerator stocked. Then there's the appointments with doctors and dentists that have to be taken care of. Finally I can settle down and get some painting done. I've enjoyed reading the blogs the past couple of weeks and I've been itching to do a Virtual Paint Out or a Twenty Minute Challenge; I hope I get in the groove to do one or both of those before the month is out.

Autumn

We have a beautiful maple tree in our backyard and it's leaves are turning the most wonderful shades of autumn. There is no way to paint that kind of color but I had to try before leaving for the winter. It's interesting that the leaves change first on the south side and top of the tree while the north side remains green. This will probably be my last post until I'm up and running in Florida again. I couldn't leave without painting a fall scene.

Oregon Flowers

This was just a little 20 minute watercolor sketch I did in my Moleskine while we were at our daughter's house in Oregon. I picked the flowers from her garden and arranged them in a small vase. I've started to collect art supplies at her house so that I can paint while am there and not have to bring things with me every time. We are always so busy sight seeing when we are there that I often don't take time to paint but it's good to squeeze some painting time in if I can. We are still getting organized for our move back to Florida so painting time is scarce these days.

Shades of Gray

Manhattan Bridge

I chose this picture to paint for the Virtual Paint Out several weeks ago and when I looked at it I couldn't figure out why I chose such a gray subject. I'm the girl who likes color, and lots of it and here I am doing an exercise in grey. Even the sky and car were grey. The only things colorful were the orange barrels lining the road. I guess I was intrigued by the grandness of a bridge gate with the colonnade flanking the sides and the arch with the figures on each side. It reminds me of the grand aches you see in Europe that are in memory of great victories and heros. Perhaps this arch is a monument as well, who knows?

On another note; I'm am in the midst of packing and preparing to move back to our winter home in Florida. I may get in one more post before we leave. Otherwise, I'll be back soon.

Postmarked

Postmarked 7x15

I had to try to do an abstract with collage like I did in the workshop from a few weeks ago. I thought if I did a couple more on my own the concepts might just be stuck in my brain a little tighter. This one I think I got pretty well, there is good layering of color and texture so that you can see through the layers. There is repetition and variety of shapes and colors; and balance. For me the hardest part is getting the colors in acrylics that I want. It seems like I have to mix and mix to try to get the shades and intensities right and then if I don't mix enough I have to try to do it all over again and match it. I know I had a color learning curve with watercolors but I don't think it was a daunting as acrylics. Once I learn which "out of the tube" colors mix with others in pleasing harmonies I may have less frustration. For me it's something I have to learn hands on, and probably repeatedly, before it's automatic. I love the challenge of something new and different.

Sunflower Bouquet

Sunflower Bouquet 9 x 11 watercolor

Last week I purchased a beautiful sunflower bouquet. After admiring it for several days I thought I'd better paint it before the wilt sets in. I love painting sunflowers and I strive to keep the colors fresh and not to get in there and overwork. Isn't is amazing what hard work it is not to overwork? I could sit and diddle with a painting like this for hours. It takes discipline, or maybe a needed trip to the bathroom to stop. I can still see things in the painting that I could change or add, but I'm going to stop. The bouquet had little roses, and small gladiolas along with lots of leafy things to fill in so it really could have been a week long painting but the sunflowers were the stars.

Love Letters

Love Letters, 15x7, Mixed Media

This was the second painting that I did in the workshop. The colors didn't photograph well, it's more of a brown tone than gray. The gold script is stamped on and enhanced with embossing powder. The letters for LOVE are some stick on cork letters that I found in a hobby store. I painted them gold. In the collage area are some of the papers that we made the first day of the workshop. It's a challenge to work abstractly, even though you have to make the same design decisions when you work realistically.

Collage workshop

Abstract With Banner 15X15 Acrylic on paper with collage.

Last week I participated in a workshop on abstract collage with Minnesota artist, Karen Knutson (http://www.karenknutson.com). There were 10 of us in her home from Monday through Thursday working on our designs and going through the process of layering acrylic to achieve depth and texture. This process was a steep learning curve for me but I was happy with the final results. In her process one starts with a composition and then works sort of backwards to get to what you want. You paint dark where you want light and light where you want dark. It's a brain cramp in the beginning! As the layers progress you finally get to the point where your dark and light areas are matching up with your initial plan. From there you begin using collage and paint to lead the eye towards the center of interest. This painting is my first attempt at doing this.

We spent much of our time the first day learning how to make our own collage papers, by painting on bakery tissues, using powdered carbon on watercolor paper, making our own stamps from mat board, and spraying bleeding tissue. It was very hands on and a lot of fun. These items were used in our work the following days.