Foolin' the Brits

For the past four years the St Michaels Art League has held a banner competition.  Members of SMAL are encouraged to paint something that represents the theme "Celebrate St Michaels."  The original artwork is presented to the judges and then (hopefully) gets juried in to become a banner.

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 - yes, I know it's 2013, but that war lasted a few years and the battle that our town focuses on happened in 1813. The state of Maryland has planned celebrations lasting into 2013 (they even issued a commemorative license tag for this event). A little history lesson here - there was a battle in Baltimore at Fort McHenry during which Frances Scott Key was aboard one of the British ships and wrote an inspiring poem at dawn when he saw that the American flag was still there.  Sound familiar?  It's a big deal in our state.

Back to the St Michaels story - the British ships were in the harbor and were going to fire their cannons on the town.  The clever townspeople hung lanterns in the trees so the enemy would think that the town was on a hill and that the lanterns were lights in the houses. The cannonballs were fired over the houses (except for one - now known as The Cannonball House, but you probably guessed that) and the town was saved!

Fact or myth? Who cares - we love the story.

So, for this year's banner competition I picked up the St Michaels story theme and found out last night that my banner was juried in!

The artwork will be scanned and all the banners will be hanging on poles on our main street sometime in late April through November. Plan a visit to our village and see them all!

For a look at last years' banner see blog post February 27, 2012.

Lifting makes a difference

There are so many techniques (and tricks) with watercolor! This particular class we were going to be experimenting with 'lifting' - that is, removing color.  We were painting trees (as described in a book we were using) and began with a pink background on very wet paper.

It is so hard for me to just paint without doing a sketch or having a real composition in mind - just put the paint on the paper. . .  Well, I started dropping in color until it seemed I had created three trees. Also, the background went from pink to green and gold and suddenly the trees were reddish-pink!  I thought it looked pretty grim until I added some dark darks. It began to have some promise. So, I let it dry some. Actually, I probably used a hair dryer, I don't remember.

Then it was time - I began lifting some color. Using a brush with clear water and wetting an area where I wanted to lift color, I found shafts of light in this strange forest by the side of a stream. And, there are now ripples in the water reflections.

Ta da! The shafts of light connect the composition and it comes together into a painting - after all!

Amazing! How weird it that?

A new year - out of the comfort zone

After taking some time away from my blog - yes, the holidays and their priorities do come first - it's time to get back to some art.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas I had an opportunity to substitute in the watercolor class again. We were trying new techniques to get us all out of our comfort zones.  You know, when I am told that I do NOT have to come up with a 'pretty picture' - that it's really okay just to 'play' with the paint and paper - it is very freeing.

I started out with wet paper and a limited palette - that is, just a few colors.  I dripped, blew the paint around with a straw, spattered, and threw in some darks. The hardest thing was trying to reserve some whites. Once I got started doing this I just wanted to cover the whole thing.  Well, this is what happened!

The photo is a little unclear, but perhaps you can tell that I did have fun!

Girls in Hats

Thanksgiving of 2009 my daughter, Jody, and her family came to share the holiday with us.  She had asked before they came if Peepa (my husband, George) would do a photo shoot with all four girls so they could get their Christmas card picture ready early.

Well, Peepa set up the backdrop and studio lights and wanted to take some practice shots - just casual poses before the girls got in their Christmas finery for the final shoot.

That morning I had gotten out some wonderful hats that a friend had given me (she knew that little girls like to dress up, so I had hats and gloves ready).  The girls started posing as Peepa practiced with the lighting.  I got out my camera also and snapped away.  It is so difficult to get everyone looking good in the same snapshot!  Fortunately, or unfortunately, my camera was set on video instead of single shots so my first attempt was a low light video.  When I discovered my mistake I took a few more shots and that was that.

Afterward I downloaded my pictures and discovered that the first frame of the video was wonderful - except for the low light. Over the years I have often looked at the picture and fondly recalled the day.

So, this fall I decided I would tackle a painting - the painting - Girls in Hats.  I have been working on it for the past month.  My goal was to have it done by the time Jody and the gang arrived this year for Thanksgiving.  I rediscovered the video and was able to make a composite of several pictures, capturing each child in light and with their own unique expression. Quite a challenge...

They arrived on Wednesday last week and I presented the painting to them. Before they went home we visited a local framer and picked out a mat and frame  - it is their Christmas present.  I can hardly wait to see it all complete.  Now their dilemma is where will they hang it!

Waiting for Fish #2

Last summer when we visited family in Vermont, we again stayed at a camp on Nelson Pond.  It is a lovely spot, right on the lake/pond.  The water is clear and beckons me each day to swim.

One afternoon when the grandchildren came over to be with us, nine year old Kieran decided he wanted to fish. He had found a rod and reel and was anxious to catch something.  We had no bait, but did have some hot dog buns...so we went the 'bread ball' route.  I made the smushed up balls and put them on the hook.  You could see the fish swimming around, finding the bait and nudging the hook.  There was an occasional nibble, but no real bites.  The bread balls would get soggy and fall off - we just fed the fish.

Kieran finally got tired of re-baiting the hook and just let it dangle in the water.  After all, it is fun to toss out the hook and reel it in. Suddenly I heard a shout, "I've got a fish!" And sure enough, there was a little fish dangling from his empty hook!  He was so excited - it turned out that was the first fish he had ever caught - VERY special.

Of course, he wanted to catch some more... I had taken several pictures of his first catch and then continued to take snapshots waiting for fish #2 - which did not happen that day.  But, I did love doing this pastel of him from one of those photos...as he waited and waited and waited. That is, after all, what fishing is all about - waiting with the knowledge that the fish are there and that just maybe...

Bricks and Stones

Apparently, the watercolor class in which I have been substituting voted a few weeks ago to work on exercises rather than turn out masterpieces suitable for framing. So, we have been practicing techniques - like negative painting.  That is, you paint around a 'thing' rather than painting the thing itself.  The space surrounding the object defines whatever it is.  Well, it does make you think!

We painted the stones first...then the bricks, but had fun imagining a display of all our paintings and calling it "Bricks and Stones" after the childhood chant that we all know..."Sticks and stones may break my bones..."  These exercises were not that easy...fortunately, no broken bones!

Well, we began with very wet paper (like the drip paintings that I wrote about on September 19) and dropped on color.  Then we worked on the negative shapes.  We were a little dismayed that we had potatoes or loaves of bread, not stones.  After working on the shapes, we were told to put them in context, so I thoroughly dried my paper and laid down some blue washes.  Voila!  The stones are under water! My head tells me that they can no longer be loaves of bread, because they are underwater...and I think the little pebbles help, too.

The following week, we tackled a pile of bricks.  Here is a challenge in perspective as well as the wet on wet, negative painting techniques. The bricks had just been brought inside and were dirty, broken, and had mortar stuck to some of them. Actually, when put in a pile, they were sort of interesting.

So, now I have two unsigned paintings...  They may get a signature - a sign that they are finished paintings 'suitable for framing.'  Who knows?  Maybe someday there will be a Bricks and Stones Show! As they say, "Stay tuned..."

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!