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.

More fun, less pressure.

Abstract, 15x22

This is one of the first abstracts I attempted several years ago in a class. I just took some of my favorite colors and made a random pattern on wet paper and let them run around and mingle. I placed different papers on the wet paint to make texture and some places remained white. After it was dry I painted the geometric shapes and lines with negative and positive painting. I've always enjoyed looking at this piece I think because the colors just make me happy. Also it was painted with great freedom and without pressure to "make a great painting". It was just fun. I need to do more of that, more fun and less pressure.

Leaning Rooster

I like everything about my rooster except that he looks like he may topple over backwards. There is a lesson here...always check your drawing from a distance BEFORE you start painting. I got so excited about getting the paint on that I forgot to do this. Never the less, I especially like the way the wet paint moved and made feather shapes in the rooster. He's a handsome fellow and he knows it. Now if he would just stand up straight! He's worth doing again.

A Virtual Paint Out

Prince Edward Island, Canada, 10X7, Watercolor Sticks and Intense Pencils

It's a new month and a new place to virtually go at Virtual Paint Out; http://virtualpaintout.blogspot

This month it is Prince Edward Island. When I started traveling around the island with google earth I was so surprised at how flat it was. I don't know why I expected it to be more hilly and verdant. But anyway, I found this nice little landscape with a meandering stream. I decided to paint it in my class on Tuesday and when I looked in my bag I found a 12 piece set of watercolor sticks and the same number of Inktense Pencils but no palette! What a way to force yourself to a limited palette! I used mostly the sticks and only did a little detail with the pencils. It's made me think that the sticks would be perfect travel companions, compact, not messy, and not a security problem. (I think I need more than 12, though).

Little Originals for Cards

Sometimes, for a warm up or just a quick painting session I'll paint some small flowers without using any reference. These are fun and rewarding and can be glued to card stock for an original card. They are about 4 1/2 X 3 1/2 inches depending on how much I crop them. I was cleaning out a nearly empty tube of paint and didn't want to waste all that paint on my brush so all my flowers were bright primary red which I allowed to explode on the wet paper. When that was dry I did negative painting around the flowers with the blues and greens and made the petal shapes.

Artichoke stalemate

Last week I started to put in geometric shapes as a background for my artichokes and now I'm at a stalemate with the painting. I think other painters experience this from time to time, I hope I'm not alone. Also, being limited in time with lots of family activities the past couple of weeks has made it difficult to even think of what to do next. Things should settle down so that I can study it and decide how I should proceed. In the meantime, I relaxed and painted some little flower paintings for birthday cards.Those I will post in the next couple of days.