The Final Collages

 Looking Askance

4 X 6 Collage on mat board

I'm coming to the end of my collage making. It's time to move on to other things and get out some paint. On this collage I used an image transfer for the lady, and a mix of manufactured papers, napkins and papers that I have painted and stamped.

 Bluebird Song

4 X 6 Collage on mat board

This is one of my favorites. I love the bluebird I found on a new napkin, the stringy stuff on the lower right and the connections that the script makes with the edges. It seems to keep my eye entertained around the composition.

 Happy Birthday Cheer

5 X 5 Collage on mat board

Since I am using these images to make note cards I thought I might as well make one with Happy Birthday already on it. Most of the background of this image is hand painted papers with the words, flowers, script and notes from various napkins and papers. 

Lucky Streak

4 X 4 collage on mat board

I like this one a lot, as well. I see in it possibilities for a larger composition, which is one of my goals for doing all of these in the first place. It's not just to place images on paper but to place them in a pleasing composition that will stand on it's own. Some were more successful that others and that's what learning is all about.

I'd like to know if my readers have a favorite or two and why. If you have time and will write in my comments box I'd appreciate it. Also, if you are a facebook user I'd love to have you "like" my art page Jan-Werdin-Art

Still More Collages

Fantasy

4 X 6 Collage on mat board

I started this collage on a dark green mat board and that background influenced the colors of the collage papers that I put on top. I ended up using some opaque papers and paint at the end so that everything wouldn't appear so dark. Lesson learned; put your collage on the white side if you want your translucent papers to show up. 

Unexpected

4 X 6 collage on mat board

On this collage I used a combination of manufactured papers and some that I made myself. The leaf is a sticker embellishment, the quote is from a fortune cookie (collagers save everything). 

I did some accenting with acrylic dimensional paint and some stamping. Click on the picture to get an enlargement to read the fortune.

Red Bird

4 X 6 Collage on mat board

This little bird keeps showing up. Now he's contemplating why a checker board is under his nest. All of the papers used in this collage are manufactured tissue paper, napkins and art papers.

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A Few More Collages

Eiffel Tower

4 X 6 collage on mat board

I'm still not tired of doing the little collages. This one has pieces that were copied on a ink jet copier. I have found that the Epson ink doesn't smear like other printers do and I've been told it's because theirs is pigment based instead of dye.   Some of the papers were stamped, some are pieces of napkin. I added some gold stamping in the top right corner. I like a little shine to my work.

The Golden Egg

4 X 6 collage, with acrylic and ink

This little bird seems to be puzzled but happy about the golden egg. It's another combination of napkin papers and hand painted papers. There is also a little gold acrylic stamping around the edges.

Scrable Rules

4 x 6 collage with acrylic

This collage was done with all manufactured papers. The quote was cut from a magazine ages ago. If you click on the picture you'll be able to read the quote more clearly. This also has the gold stamping on it.

I've been scanning these collages into my computer and designing note cards. I'm very happy with the results. Go to www.facebook.com/janwerdinart  and see how you can win a set of note cards.

Collaging

    Paris Lady 

4 X 6 collage on mat board

The past couple of weeks I've been making little collages on 4 X 6 pieces of mat board. It's been loads of fun and has really sparked my creative juices. I have so many papers stockpiled it's about time I used them. Most of them are papers that I have purchased, and napkins. I also have pictures I have copied on my printer such as the one in this collage and papers that I have painted. 

Leaf and Dragonflies

4 X 6 Collage with acrylic

This is one of my favorites, I love using the leaf skeletons and who doesn't like dragonflies? The paper on the bottom is something I colored with watercolor, the top is a commercial paper with threads sewn into it. I used a dimensional gold acrylic to embellish the dragonfly and the top. 

Life Is Not Measured

6 x 6 collage with ink and acrylic

I loved this quote that I found on a pack of napkins so I built my collage around it. The olive branch reminds me of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and the butterfly is often a symbol of new life, moments that take my breath away.   

Sunset Sail 

Watercolor on Yupo synthetic paper, 20 X 3.5

This is my second entry into the Regatta show. Painting on Yupo is much like painting on the acrylic surface I wrote about in my last blog. I'm able to carve out my white areas with a damp brush. What I find difficult about painting on Yupo is that the paint moves so much before it dries if there is a lot of water in it. So, there is a decision to make; in order to have bright transparent colors I add more water so it's a tea or coffee consistency. But, if I want the pigment to stay put I have to put it on like heavy cream and then it's less transparent. So, I wait for the paint to dry, assess the outcome and, if it needs adjustment, I go in with a damp brush and remove what I don't like and then put in what I think I will like better. Then, the paint does what it wants to do anyway, control is out the window! Never  mind. This process is too much fun!

Regatta 2013

                                           Catching the Wind
                       Watercolor on acrylic on illustration board, 15 X 20.

It's time again to put forth a painting for our annual Regatta show at Cape Coral Art League. I'm continuing to try to do something experimental with my work. I don't want to do the "same old, same old" but push the boundaries of the conventional rendering of sailboats. I coated my board with gesso and used molding paste for some texture in the bottom third of my painting. This dried completely. Next I put in my blue sky and water background. After that dried I was able to carve out the sail shapes with a damp brush back to the white of the gesso. I continued with the darker boat shapes. I went back into the sails to create the contour with shadows and added people shapes. Finally, I carved out the small sailboat in the distance. This painting went surprisingly quickly because of the gesso underpainting. It allows me to  make corrections as I go along simply by wiping out and adding paint. 

I Might Fall

                                                  I Might Fall
                                       18 X 18 Acrylic on Canvas

I covered an old painting with gesso and put tissue paper into the wet gesso. After the gesso dried I covered the whole canvas with polymer medium to make sure that all the tissue was securely stuck down. When that dried I looked at the pattern of the tissue and thought it looked like a tree form that was slanted so that's what I went with. I used a palette knife to dab on the yellows, oranges and green leaves and the browns of the tree trunk. Most of the rest of the painting was done with a brush. It's spring and not autumn, so it's a little strange to be painting a fall tree but when you live in Florida you are never quite sure of the seasons anyway, except the long, hot summers. 

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. 

Workshop Recovery

Last week I was in a workshop for four days. I've needed that and more to recover. It's daunting to be in a learning mode for four days if you've been out of school for decades. The artist was Marie Natale from New Jersey. She is a wonderful watercolorist and teacher. She recommends sable brushes which I have but seldom use. I love them now that I've learned how to use them. We learned the 5 "strengths" of watercolor; tea, coffee, milk, cream and butter and how to apply them. 

This little landscape illustrates the use of the different strengths of watercolor pigment. 

I'm not finished with my large painting that I started in the workshop. I will keep working on it and hope to have it posted soon. In the meantime try this little landscape for yourself. Here's a link to Marie's web site.   www.MarieNatale.com

Write It On Your Heart.

I saw a challenge on the artists in blogland that I couldn't resist. It was to paint something to go with the quote, "Write it on your heart that everyday is the best day of the year." Ralph Waldo Emerson. I really liked that quote and started playing around with some ideas. The final painting I put on a gallery wrap canvas.

Write It On Your Heart, acrylic, 8 X 8

I began by painting my idea in my journal pages. The page on the right was watercolor over a gesso page with permanent marker lettering. The page on the left is what I did with my left over paint after finishing the acrylic painting on the top. I like the looseness and spontaneity of that one a lot. 

I love the quote because it's so true. We only have today, yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not yet ours. All we have is TODAY. How much of my time is spent in thinking what I will do tomorrow instead of living in my today. 

If you want to see the rest of the artwork related to that quote go to http://artistsinblogland.blogspot.com  and click the Monthly Challenge button on the right side.

                                              On the Prairie
                              Acrylic on paper with collage , 15 X 15 

This painting reminds me of the time I spent at my grandmother's house on the prairie of South Dakota. It has a desolate feeling to it. There are the vast stretches of prairie land with a lone house in the distance with a red sunset sky. I can almost feel and hear the wind blowing. Maybe I should add a windmill. What do you think?

Recent Awards

I won 3 awards in recent local art shows so I thought I'd share them on my blog.

 

 

 "Gone Ashore"

 

This was in the Small World category where a painting must be no more than 24 inches square; so they are very small paintings, indeed. This painting was sold.

 

Happy Walk

 

I posted this one earlier on my blog. I'm very pleased with the 3rd place ribbon in the mixed media category. Both paintings were entered at the Pine Island Art Association.

 

 

Ghost Ships

 

I posted this one earlier, too. It won a 2nd place award in a show at Cape Coral Art League last week.

 

I was able to sell four paintings in all at the Pine Island show. It was a very good show for me this year. It was a good show for the Association, too. Many paintings were sold in the 2 day event.

Straight and Narrow

                        

                                                      Straight and Narrow 

                                          Acrylic on paper, 15 X 22

I've been working on several projects at once, this one is the first one that is finished. It is a multi-layered abstract on watercolor paper. I had several objectives when I started this painting. 

1. I wanted it to be a cruciform. 

2. I wanted a color other than blue to be dominant. 

3. I didn't want any recognizable form to show up in the painting, for example a flower, fish or face. 

The hardest part was not using blue, a lot of my paintings lately have been blue dominant and I tried to steer away from even using a  blue . I did sneak some in one of the under layers but reminded myself to get it covered up so it's just barely visible. 

Abstracts are fun but take a lot of thought. I do a lot of painting on and wiping off until I get the look I want. Fortunately, once the acrylic is on the paper you can get fairly rough with it without ruining the paper. Even after drying some rubbing alcohol will take a layer or more of paint off if you want to change something. I usually start with a couple layers of gesso on an old watercolor painting so I have a good base to start on. The Quinacridone gold was next followed by reds and purples. Each layer is stamped, scraped, or textured in some way. A little gold and thick drops of acrylic were my finishing touches.

Still life with lemons

It's been very busy lately since this is "season" here in South Florida. We have our sales and shows while the snow birds and tourists are here. It's a window of opportunity. I had three shows to get ready for since February first. One was a show and sale where I sold 4 paintings and also received 2 awards. That felt really good! Yesterday's show garnered another award! That has left little time for painting since I was also a worker bee at these shows. In addition, our local art league is having a yard sale this week end and I started to clean out some boxes of things in the garage. One of the things I found was this little art glass vase in the shape of an elephant. I couldn't part with it so I decided to paint it in a little still life at our regular Thursday morning class. I love yellow with blue so the citrus was a easy choice to go with it.

                     Elephant Vase With Citrus  Watercolor 6 1/2 x 5 1/2

Numbers 29 and 30

Feathers

Watercolor, 5 X 5

I finally got time to post my last 2 paintings for the 30 in 30. The blog finished on January 31st but I wasn't finished with the 30. I'm a little nuts about picking up found objects and these feathers were found. Maybe one day I'll do a collage and put them in it. In the meantime they were fun to paint. I tried to get the fuzzy, downy part at the base of the feather to look that way by making the background really wet. I think the one on the left is probably from a morning dove and the other a mockingbird. 

                                                           Green Parrot
                                     Watercolor 6 X 8 1/2

As I look over my 30 paintings I see that I have painted more birds than anything else. Birds are interesting subjects, they come in all colors, sizes and settings. I guess that's why I like painting them. I've enjoyed painting consistently over the month of January. It will be harder in February because I have so many shows and sales the attend to. I hope I'll be able to continue to work regularly, though, and post on Leslie Saeta's blog again. She is encouraging artists to post one or two paintings a week each week end. After doing 30 in 30 it should be easy!

Sail Away and Sunset Stroll, 27 & 28

Sail Away

Watercolor, 11 X 7 1/2

Painting number 27. This idea I found in a magazine illustration that I thought was charming and whimsical. It was fun to try to render it in watercolor. This is the last painting posted in the 30 in 30 blog. Thanks to Leslie Saeta for encouraging so many artists to get into their studios and paint. 

http://lesliesaeta.blogspot.com 

Sunset Stroll

Watercolor 10 1/2 X 7

We do have these wonderful sunsets on the Gulf of Mexico this time of year. Don't we all dream of walking on the beach at sunset with our favorite fellow or gal? 

Even though the official 30 in 30 blog is finished, I still want to finish 30 paintings and I have two more to go. 

Sunflower, #26

                                                  Sunflower
                        Watercolor over Textured Acrylic on paper, 10 X 12

I'm caught up! This is my painting number 26 but it's posted on day 29 of the "30 paintings in 30 days blog". The blog has one official day left but I will have 3 more paintings to do to complete 30. This has been challenging but fun. I had to push myself on some days. Some of the paintings were quick and sketchy but the important thing was that I painted every day and that's a good thing. I don't think I've ever painted 26 days in a row before. I'd like to develop some of the ideas into larger, better paintings. 

This painting done on one of my gesso backgrounds was fun to do. I'm getting to like the textured gesso for a background more and more. It's a very forgiving surface to paint on and I think it makes for an interesting painting.

Ambience, #25

                                                   Ambience
                                  Acrylic and Collage on Canvas, 8 X 8

This is Number 25 for day 28 of the 30 paintings in 30 days blog. Since I started 3 days late I will not be able to post my last 3 paintings on that web site, but I plan to finish the 30 paintings anyway. This one is another one that I did in an image transfer class. The canvas has been painted and had different texture elements on it. Then the image transfers and other collage pieces are added to make what I hope is a cohesive painting. The black lines are a combination of collage and black pen. I like the image transfers because they allow the background of the painting to show through.

Image Transfers in a Painting, #24

 

                                            Time Watcher,
                              Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, 8 X 8

I've been taking a class on image transfer the last three weeks and although this  is not strictly a painting, it has image transfers and collage elements, I'm still counting it as my painting #24 in the 30 Paintings in 30 Days. The background was acrylic over tissue paper for texture. The woman and the clock were image transfers on gel skins, the script and lace are collage. 

Sunset Wash, #23

                                            Sunset Wash 
                                       Watercolor, 15 X 11

I'm learning things as I go along in this daily painting. Sometimes I like to paint on the back of another painting. The back of this painting had a piece of another kind of paper glued to it. I found that this affected the ability of the paper to hold the water and for the paint to blend as I was accustomed. Also, the push back that the water usually does to the paint along the water line didn't work as well, either. I really had to force the issue in order for it to work. I decided to post it anyway, it's not what I wanted or expected but it's what happened.

After Chiuly II, Number 22

                                After Chiuly II, Watercolor 11 X 7 1/2

I love the abstract quality of the insides of the blown glass bowls by Chiuly. This one was magenta with blue. He puts a layer of white between some of the glass layers; that makes the bowls have so much depth. It's hard to capture that in watercolor but the abstract design is fun to try to duplicate. 

My Cup

                                  My Cup  
                                      Watercolor on acrylic 11 X 8

This painting is number 21 in the series of 30 paintings in 30 days. The background was started months ago waiting for just the right idea to come for a subject.The background is gesso over an old watercolor painting. Putting the curly ques on it reminded me of steam from a cup of hot coffee or tea. Cups always remind me of the Psalm verse that I put on the painting. I used gold background to emphasize the value of God's word. Sometimes that's how a painting is conceived, one thing leads to another. I call it intuitive painting. 

Paintings Number 19 and 20

                                                             Sara, Sitting 
                                         Watercolor, 11 1/2 X 7

I just had to do another painting of our cute little grand-dog, Sara. This time she is sitting and waiting for whatever a dog waits for. Food, attention, a toy. She would probably like to snuggle into a lap the best. She has different features for a dachshund, a little more hound like around the head and chest. And her eyes are large with very dark lid linings that look like she's wearing eye liner.

Three Amigos

Watercolor on Acrylic, 10 X !0

Yes, there really are three pelicans in this painting. If you look closely you can see the neck of the third pelican in between the outer birds. Most of the brown feathers in the center are the third pelican; it's head is completely covered by the bird in front. 

The acrylic on the paper has been textured after it was painted on a watercolor background. This gives the painting depth and interest. The subject is then painted on top in watercolor.  Ten more paintings to go in the 30 Paintings in 30 Days, although the challenge will be finished before I am since I started a few days late. I'm going to try to finish 30, though.

After Chiuly #18

                                                          After Chiuly
                                                     Watercolor 7 1/2 x 11

Chiuly's Blue Bowl, Interior

Over the Christmas Holidays we were able to visit the Chiuly Glass Garden in Seattle Washington with our daughter and son-in-law. The arrangements of blown glass objects, the colors, the lighting were all a feast for the eyes. There aren't enough adjectives to adequately describe it. I took many pictures with the idea of interpreting some of the works, especially the colors in watercolor. I'm pretty happy with my first attempt, I like the way the colors ran but I need to find a darker blue that will react to the water in the same way that the pthalo blue does. This painting is  #18 in the 30 Day Challenge.

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Heron, #17

                                                          Blue Heron
                                       Watercolor 5 1/2 x 3 3/4

One of my favorite subjects to paint is the blue heron. They are common here and in many parts of the country in ponds, lakes, and seashore. They can be found anywhere there is water that they can wade in and find creatures to eat. I love their elegant necks and graceful movement . They are a delight to watch and to paint.

Painting #15, My Set Up

 

                                                     My Set Up
                                              watercolor 6 1/2 x 9

This is just a small potion of the set up on my painting table. The essentials are the water, brushes, spray bottle, tissues and of course the paints are off to the side. I couldn't quite get them in. I have a little paper with instructions for figure painting on my wall in the back. Until I started painting my set up, I didn't even notice it and I don't think I've used it since I put it up there. Maybe that should be my project for day 16, put some figures in my paintings. 

Bouquet, Number 16

                                                     Bouquet
                                     Watercolor, 7 X 9 1/2

It's getting harder to get these little paintings done, life keeps getting in the way. One thing it's done for me is that I don't dilly dally, I get in there and get it done without a lot of pondering about color and whether it should be this or that. I just get the brushes and paints out and try to let the right brain take over. For the most part I think it's working for me.

Pretty Parrot #14

                                                   Pretty Parrot
                                         Watercolor 9 X 7

I loved painting this bird. I started with new gamboge on the breast feathers but it wasn't quite gold enough so I glazed it with quinacridone gold. The dark for the beak and under the chin were mixed with pthalo blue, alizarin crimson, with a touch of yellow. The blue is cobalt with a little turquoise. There are a few touches of quinacridone orange. The background is just a loose wash of sap green with some burnt sienna. A light spritz with  water creates the texture.

Young Burrowing Owls, # 13

                                        Young Burrowing Owls
                                      Watercolor, 5 X 5

I'm getting caught up with the 30 day challenge by posting two paintings today. This little painting is of the little owls that make their home here in Southwest Florida. They are an endangered species due to development where they like to nest. They dig their nests underground during the dry season, which is now. When the young hatch and are big enough, they like to come out of their hole in the ground and stand watchfully. They get used to humans coming around and snapping their picture. We even have a Burrowing Owl Festival which will take place in February. Birders from all over the world come to take the bus tour around the city to see the owl nests. The owls cooperate by coming out or their nests and look at the tourists. I wonder if they have a list to check off for each nationality of human they see. 

Island House, #12

                                                    Island House
                                         Watercolor, 5 X 7

Yesterday I sat outside beside a boat ramp and painted the little house across the canal. The island has canals that lead to the bay and out to the Gulf of Mexico so there are lots of fishermen who like to launch their boats or better yet, own a home with a sea wall and a dock. This little house didn't have a boat at the dock so maybe he's gone fishing. This is number 12, my submission for yesterday in the 30 day challenge, now I have to find a subject for today.

Rooster, #11

                                                               Rooster
                      Watercolor on patterned acrylic background, 8 X 10

I'm enjoying painting on the patterned backgrounds. The gesso allows for the watercolor to absorb a little but still be removable. The background is gesso tinted with some acrylic paint, the patterns are made with stamps that I have made with craft foam sheets and mat board. I think my rooster needs another leg to stand on, or maybe he has it tucked up under himself.

Beautiful Florida Sunset, #10

                                                    Beautiful Florida Sunset
                                         Watercolor on paper 7 X 10

Sometimes the sunsets are just spectacular, it must be the moisture in the air  from the Gulf of Mexico lingering in the sky so that the sun can do it's magic. I take pictures often and this time I painted one. Usually the palms appear dark, almost black in photos but in life they are really not that dark. So, dig out some of those photos you've taken of sunsets, get out your paints and have a little fun mingling the yellows, pinks and blues into a beautiful sunset. The variety is never ending.

Sara, #9

                                                             Sara
                      Watercolor on paper textured with acrylic, 7.5 X 5.5

This challenge has really gotten me out of my comfort zone and into trying some things that I don't ordinarily paint. I haven't painted many animals except for birds. I thought I try this little dachshund named Sara who belongs to my son's family. She has an unusual coat for a dachshund since it's white with tan markings. This turned out to be more of a cartoon or caricature, but still has a freshness that I like.

Whatchamacallit #8

                                                       Whatchamacallit,
                                     Acrylic, collage on paper, 9X12

We all have them, they're whatchamacallits, just crazy  ideas, paintings, do-dads. We're not sure what they are or what to do with them but there they are and sometime they just make us smile. This little painting has lots of layers that have been  rubbed, scribbled, stamped painted over and around. Even a little collage was added  for good measure. Sometimes it's just fun

to do something that's a little bit out of my comfort zone and put it out there for the world to see. How crazy is that?

Hammock on the Beach, #7

                                      Hammock on the Beach, 
                                    Acrylic on textured paper, 15 X 11

I feel like I've really accomplished something! 7 paintings in 7 days. It's so much fun to be painting regularly, it makes me wonder why I haven't kept up with it before. I guess life just gets in the way sometimes, and once I get away from painting every day it's harder to get back to it. 
This painting was from a photo I took at a resort in the Florida Keys. I think I've seen this scene pop up more than once. I've eliminated some palms that were in the original picture but left in the little island of mangroves off shore. It was certainly an inviting and idyllic spot, probably photographed hundreds of times. But each artist has their own interpretation and style of painting it. No two are alike.