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.