Homework

I have been taking photographs of our grandchildren for years...hmmm, our oldest will be 23 this week. How can that be? A thought to ponder at another time...

It has always been interesting to me how various children react when they see a camera.  Some see the camera and hide behind their hands (or any convenient person or piece of furniture). Others run away entirely and occasionally scream "Don't take my picture!" Some respond with slumped shoulders and an unenthusiastic "OK."  And then, there are those who sense that there is a camera somewhere and immediately turn toward it with a big toothy grin.

Of course, we, the photographers are not without our own antics.  When the children are tiny we stand there with our cameras aimed and make all kinds of silly faces and noises trying to produce a smile in an infant.  Then we get to the "Say 'cheese'" phase and the dutiful subjects respond. Later when we look at the picture we see the 'bunny ears' that the little dears have bestowed on their neighboring sibling by holding up those two fingers behind their head!

A few months ago my daughter's #2 child asked if I would paint a picture of her for her birthday.  (Actually, she said, "Gramma Jo, I know what I want for my birthday. I want you to paint three pictures of me.")

OK, this is one of those children who 'know' when there is a camera about to be aimed in her direction. So, when I look through my picture file, all the pictures of her have teeth. She is beautiful and loves to have her picture taken but, when you paint a picture with smiling teeth it often looks like that person has a piano in their mouth!

She and I discussed this dilemma and then spent a bit of time taking pictures with her trying NOT to smile.  I know that was so hard for her.  She sat at the kitchen table doing her homework and I snapped away.

Last week she turned eleven and the picture is framed and ready to go to her.
Happy Birthday, Leighton!

Drips...

I've been subbing again in the watercolor class.  For the past two weeks we have been trying a new (to most of us) technique.  We began by thoroughly wetting the watercolor paper on both sides.  Then we thought about what colors we would like to use (I'm a primary color person) and began dripping them on our paper.

The wonderful thing about watercolor is that it runs and creates wonderful new shapes and colors.  If you raise your paper and turn it in various directions amazing things can happen...and also frightful messes can be revealed!

Our task was to see some 'thing' in these drips and then to paint around it  - highlighting and defining it. When you paint the space around the 'thing' you are painting negatively.

What we found was that it was VERY HARD to do.  We are so used to painting a thing - beginning with an idea and painting it.  To begin with no idea and then have it mysteriously revealed seemed a very backward challenge!

Well, the fun thing about this wet paper is that when you really mess up on one side you can just turn it over and begin again...  which I think several of us did.

So, this is what I ended up with that first day...

I confess, I didn't see any 'thing' but someone in class suggested that it could be a city skyline.  I took it home to dry.  During that week, I tried turning it in several different directions and cropped it here and there.

I think this is the forest fires out west.

This looks a little like an erupting volcano.

This is sort of nothing...back to square one...

So, I went back to class this week and showed these ideas. The class suggested turning the painting upside down (from the way I had it originally - who knew which way it should go) and they saw a waterfall! Hmmm...

Well, now I have worked on it ...played around with some more darks and lights and maybe it is a waterfall after all.  I keep hearing the voice of one of my instructors from a few years ago... "Go ahead and experiment.  It's only PAPER."  So, here is "The Waterfall"

Warm and Cool

From time to time I am asked to be a substitute in an on-going watercolor class that meets in St Michaels. It is a treat for me - I always learn something, the artist instructor is talented and helpful - she gives great critiques... and the other class members are such fun.

Last month I was fortunate to be able to sub two back-to-back weeks.  It's really nice to have that continuity. The class was working on warm and cool paintings.  The first week we painted our warm paintings using only warm colors - reds, yellows, greens.

I looked through my picture file and found a picture that I had taken on my recent trip to Vermont.  Paul's sunlit, red barn had all sorts of flowers growing up the side.

I struggled with the windows and doorway.  In my photograph these were very dark areas and as I was painting them they I lost the warm feeling.  A red watercolor wash helped.  However, when I got home and looked at it again (after a day of staring at it on the easel across the room) I couldn't let it be and began to 'play' with my pastels...  The white window frame warmed up as did most everything else!  Ta-da, my warm painting...

So, the following week was the 'cool' assignment.  Another look through the picture file and I found one of the beautiful morning mist rising and rolling across Nelson Pond (a camp where we stay)... birch trees and firs being alternately seen and partially hidden by the haze.

I painted this wet-on-wet... beginning with very wet paper and dropping watercolor onto it for a soft, flowing look. These blues, blue-greens and grays carry the cool feeling.  If fact, when I showed it to someone without any explanation, they thought it was a winter painting.  I guess I captured 'cold'!  I may have to stick in just a little blue sky (and water) to bring it back to summer...and hear the wonderful calls of the loons across the pond.