A Triptych of Florida Birds

As long as I'm doing mini paintings I might as well do some for exhibit as well. I had this little frame and pre-cut mat with three 3 X3 windows in it. I like to stick to a theme when I do these things so I decided my theme would be Florida birds. I started out with the Inktense pencils but ended up enhancing them with gouache paint. The White Pelicans are common in our area in the winter and the Brown Pelicans are here year 'round. Although the Flamingo is not a native Florida bird, it has been associated with Florida for so long I thought it made a nice punch of color in the center of the group. I will be including this in my sale items at the Pine Island Art Association Annual Show and Sale. Our show is always the second week end in February. It's time for me to start deciding what should be entered.

Last of the roses

Our temperatures in SW Florida are running way below normal; our normal high is 75, today my thermometer is sticking at 56, and there's a mean north wind. It's not unusual to have a cold snap or an occasional light freeze but to have this cold (to us) weather last for a couple of weeks is unusual. I had two salmon colored roses left on my bush and I thought that with the wind and predicted frost they would not last the night.

I've always admired the way that Janet Rogers paints roses but I have not perfected her method, yet. She lays down a puddle of varied color, subtracts with a damp brush and adds a few darker areas and like magic a rose appears. So, with that in mind I painted another of my required minis. I think I need a little more practice.

More Mini's

I have to get the mini paintings done and handed in this month so it's time to get painting. Late last year I posted the 3 orchid paintings. Now I'm working on some tropical fish, but I love this crab. He is so "in your face". If there aren't a lot of people on the beach and you sit really still you can see them come out of their holes and scramble around and then dive back into the hole at any sign of a predator. Painting class is starting this week, too. I'm looking forward to getting out some pent up creativity.

New Beginnings

I bought this Amaryllis bulb 6 or 7 weeks ago. I thought it would be fun to watch it grow and bloom while I was recovering from surgery. We could sort of begin together. Well, Amaryllis had a slow start. I watered and watched, and watched, did my exercises, and still no shoot appeared. I was almost ready to take it back to the store in disgust but didn't have the energy to stand in line. A couple days ago the little leaf shoot appeared, then the stalk started to emerge. I'm glad I wasn't as slow as the Amaryllis. It looked so inviting to paint sitting there on the window sill with a little sunshine making neat reflections on the galvanized pot. So I moved my paints into the kitchen and did my little watercolor sketch. I see my pot is a little lopsided, but hey, I painted! Yea!! That means my energy is coming back and that's a beginning. Happy New Year, to all, may you all have new beginnings in 2010!

The Muse

I was going to title it the muse is not amused. But it's more like the artist is not amused. I have been struggling with this little 5x7 canvas for the past two weeks. It was too light, too dark, too much, too little blah, blah. It's just a little experiment with molding paste, again, and some of my acrylic paints that needed some use. The dark around the edges is a Micaceous Iron Oxide, a sample from Golden. It has a sparkly effect which I think is quite nice. I'm not sure it shows up that much in the picture. I was into the copper again, too; the powder and the paint. I love the combination with the cobalt turquoise. I think I'm finished, but you never know. I'll post her and put her away for awhile. Perhaps she's not a muse at all but really a Christmas angel in disguise.

Here's to anniversaries!

It's been one year today that I started to blog with some consistency. I would have liked to post a new painting each day, but that was a bit too much to dive into. Some weeks have been more prolific than others but it has been a great motivator for me to get the brushes wet and paint.

Today's offering is more in the "having fun" category as opposed to working for a prize winning painting. I played around with some molding paste on a previously painted 8X10 canvas. I decided to do a palm tree shape with the molding paste and then painted it with acrylics. This was begun BS (before surgery) and completed (maybe) today, which is also 3 weeks AS (after surgery). Just for fun and for my old painting buddy, Marilyn, I've even sprinkled a little copper powder in it. For me, playing around with the different products, experimenting, having no fear of failure, is the best way to learn whether I'm on my own or in a class. And then I have the audacity to show it to the world.

Thanks to all who have commented and followed my blog, it's been a fun year and I hope to keep the whole thing going.

One More Orchid

I have one more little orchid painting that was done before my surgery so after this I will have to get busy and do some more little paintings. I have a one year anniversary of my blog to celebrate on Friday so I want to do something to get a blog posted on that day. I'm able to do more sitting so it should not be too difficult to paint a little each day. It's good to have a goal.

Attitude

This is the first day I have actually felt like doing anything since my knee surgery. I've finally got some meds that are helping with the pain and the attitude. It's interesting that the two go hand in hand; if you have nagging pain all the time it's very hard to have a good attitude. I have an increased admiration for those who live in pain everyday and still manage to be up and positive.

I'm still working on those little mini paintings that are required by our art association. Maybe I can crank some more out while I'm recuperating, it's pretty hard to work large when one leg has to be elevated. One friend suggested that I cover the bed with plastic and just go for it. That just may work. In the meantime here's the second in the series of orchids. I wish the iridescent paint showed up in the photo, it really adds to it.

Mini paintings

In order to enter paintings in our art league's February show and sale each participant must paint and donate six little paintings, 4 1/2" X 3 1/2" which are called "Mini's". I find doing them in watercolor is difficult but acrylic and gouache are easier for me. So far I have done three in watercolor with and orchid theme. This is the first. I decided to paint the background today, and now I'm wishing I had left it white. Oh well, I can always paint others and leave the background plain.

I won't be posting a blog for probably a few weeks because I'll be recovering from knee replacement surgery. I'll be back as soon as I can.

A Workshop with Don Taylor

It seems that no matter how many years you have been painting you can still learn something new. Even old dogs can learn new tricks. That's why I take as many workshops as I can. There are always new things to learn, new products to try. Who knows? I may finally find that magic brush I've always wanted that will take me to those artistic heights of excellence that we all pursue. Not only that, I get to have 3 or more consecutive days to paint in a friendly, encouraging setting. That said, this painting is one I worked on and finished in Don Taylor's workshop. He uses a triad of aureolin, cobalt, and rose madder genuine for his under painting. After that dries, he combines ultra marine with hematite pigments from Daniel Smith for a granulating dark effect. The hematites are non-staining and easy to lift. I lost a lot of my under painting getting in the darks but I think the look of a gloomy, rainy day is sort of interesting. This picture was done with his reference and his help on the perspective. Thanks Don!

Georgia Blue Ridge

I spent a long week end with some wonderful "sisters" in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia. What I painted in my little Moleskine doesn't come close to the beauty of that area but I give myself credit for trying. The trees on the hills in the distance had lost all of their leaves so it was just a mass of grayish brown. The center hills were full of evergreen trees with trees with orange leaves interspersed among them. That combination of green and orange was quite striking. Closer was another hill of trees that were barren. The skies were a striking blue the whole week end which is unusual according to the one whose cabin we were visiting. We had an interesting visit by a young bear who wanted our garbage can in the worst way. I wish I had gotten a good picture of him/her but I wasn't willing to venture outside to do so. As a result, I have a picture with a fuzzy black thing in it. At least I know it was a bear.

Starting tomorrow I'll be taking a 3 day workshop with Don Taylor, I hope to have some interesting paintings to post.

Playing with Paste

Ancient Symbols 1 & 2

Getting my cue from Mary Todd Beam in her book The Creative Edge, I tried playing with molding paste. I was given two 5 X 7 canvas boards that were going to be thrown out so somehow that gave me permission to play. Funny how free material does that. On one I used molding paste and the other light molding paste, both sample jars from Golden. (More free material.) I spread the paste on the canvases and used a texture tool, palette knife and jar lids to make designs in the paste. I let them dry overnight and then rubbed a charcoal stick over the rough edges to bring out the design. I thought the charcoal was too heavy so I took some off with a paper towel. Then I started applying thinned liquid acrylic paint allowing the colors to mingle. After drying I added some dark blue, cobalt teal and metallic paint. I think I prefer the molding paste to the light molding paste because it dries with a glossier finish, the light paste is almost grainy and a very matte finish. It was fun to work with and I think I'll try a bigger project on illustration board in the future.

Finish those paintings month

Midnight in the Garden 13.5 X 10.5

Last week I resolved to finish some old paintings that have been languishing in portfolios for who-knows-how-long. They are just beginnings, some with no real subject or direction in mind. Times of play when I just splashed on color and various tools to make texture; saran, filter paper, rice paper, wax paper, salt, alcohol, bubble wrap, etc. When these were dry I didn't continue with them because I didn't "see" a composition in them. So last week, armed with various sizes of mats I moved them this way and that until I found some compositional possibility to pursue. This is my first completed painting from my resolve. It was fraught with many difficulties. I wish I had taken a picture of the underpainting before I started working on it. One of the difficulties was that it had lain so long that mold had hidden itself until the water made it show up in spots. The spots were on leaves, though, so it didn't matter too much. In one area there had been damage to the paper, I suspect from too heave salt residue. When I tried to gently scrub in this area the paper came off in sheets and almost made a hole through the middle of the painting. Since it had become a mixed media painting anyway, I repaired it with white acrylic front and back and collaged on it. It was an interesting challenge and I'm going to start the second one, tonight, I hope. I have four to go.

Rooftops for DSDF

I played around with another piece of Tyvek for my Different Strokes from Different Folks challenge. This time I used almost all acrylic and did I ever go wild with the color. The picture was so monochromatic, and uninteresting in color to me so I went as far the other direction as I could. I tried to concentrate on shapes, and textures. For the finishing touch I used Caran D' Arche Neocolor sticks. I rubbed different shades over some of the areas to enhance the textures made by the acrylic. It was loads of fun just playing and experimenting in a free way. Always the question in my mind was, "What would happen if I..." and then I would just go for it. I hope you catch my sense of play.

Lost World Circles

Myrna Wacknov's paintings on Tyvek intrigued me and I tried one but the watercolor just beaded up on it. Then she blogged about using a Golden Acrylic product called GAC200 that increases adhesion to slick surfaces. So I coated the Tyvek with a GAC and gesso mix as recommended on the bottle, let it dry, and then I was able to get some success with the watercolors. I played around with making circles and lines, used some watercolor crayons and some acrylic paints, and finally drops of alcohol. When I thought I was happy with it I let it dry. While I was looking at it upside down I noticed that I had three circles in a vertical row right in the middle! (Top painting.) Aaaagh! The curse of putting things in the middle. I put the top picture in Photoshop and corrected the two lower circles and liked it better so then I went into the real painting and did some watercolor editing. The surface, being rather slick was pretty easy to edit. The bottom picture is the finished painting, Lost Worlds, 8.5x11 . I showed it to a friend and he asked, "Why paint on Tyvek rather than traditional paper or canvas?" I came up with three reasons; you get at different effect, it's a challenge, and the Tyvek was free (a builder gave it to me).

Smart Women

I'm up and running in Florida! We had more problems than usual this year upon our return but things are settled into "normal" whatever that is! I finally added the finishing touches to the acrylic and collage painting that I started about a month ago in Minnesota. It's so good to be back in my own little studio/room off the kitchen, surrounded by my usual stuff. We artists do like "our stuff", don't we?

As I look at this painting I think I may have gone overboard with the "stuff", perhaps it is too busy, but I'm happy with it. I've been reading The Creative Edge by Mary Todd Beam and her advice is to paint what pleases you. She says, "You have really reached a milestone when you don't care what anyone else thinks." How true this is in life as well as in art. I hope that I can continue to paint with that freedom.

Happy week end!

A Short Absence

I will be disconnected for a few days until we reach our home in Florida. If the weather cooperates I'll be able to paint a little bit in the places we visit on the way down. I'm looking forward to seeing my painting buddies in Florida again!

Hotel Les Roches

I'm supposed to be packing and getting ready for our migration back to Florida and I found a little painting I did in France in 2006. We stayed at a wonderful B&B called Hotel Les Roches in Mont St Jean, France. One lovely afternoon I sat and painted the front entry. The face in the arch was the face of the wife of the builder and original owner of the chateau.

If you ever want to get a taste of the French countryside in the Burgundy area I would highly recommend this chateau. The rooms were clean and spacious, and the food and wine was an A plus. The area was full of vineyards and ancient caves full of dusty old bottles of fine wine.

Mini equipment

Today's post is a picture of the second painting I did at the lake. It's of one of the clumps of birch trees that are around the property with the lake in the background. To my dismay, I've painted so many Florida scenes that I have almost forgotten how to paint birch trees, one of my first watercolor lessons. I think I captured the look eventually, though. Along with the painting is the the tiny brush, Pocket Box and and Moleskine. Until I started painting the miniature paintings with gouache last summer, I never used a small brush except for an occasional detail. Just look at me now!

A Break at the Lake

We were invited to spend a few days with our friends at their lake cabin in northern Minnesota this week. I was looking forward to some fall color and I wasn't disappointed. The maple's reds, oranges and yellows were a lovely contrast to some of the trees that were still stubbornly green. It seems like the maples always go first. I sat on the pontoon boat and did a quick painting of the shoreline in the distance. I finally got to use my watercolor Moleskine that has pages that are 5 1/2" by 3 1/2". It's pretty small but the only brush I had was the one in Sketchers' Pocket Box with 12 half pans of paint in a little palette. I'm trying to see how "minimalist" I can get with my equipment. I'm not sure of the size of the brush but it's certainly no bigger than a #2. It's fun to see what can be done with a small book and palette.