Happy New Year - Simplify...

Reviewing 2019 and looking toward 2020... my current goal is to simplify.

I took a course in composition this past fall. Each session we were presented with various still life arrangements. We were to draw them using graphite or charcoal. Our instructor invited us to take photos of the arrangements from different angles and do several drawings.

I often paint from photographs and find it challenging to NOT paint everything that I see. The beauty of a painting is that I can choose what I want on my paper, but it is tempting to just paint it all.

So, in class I was presented with arrangements that were filled with bits of things. This photo doesn't even show it all. There was a bird's nest and more 'stuff' over on the right. I little overwhelming...

I knew I didn't want to mess with the glass vase or get into all the nest twigs. I also didn't need to do the little stones. I just picked a couple of things. I love color, so that is what stood out for me. 

Here is the sketch...done in about 10-15 minutes (I think).

I took it home and decided to add color to it. It was done on drawing paper, but I wanted to just try watercolor on it to see if I could make it a little cheerier.

I painted the pumpkin, twig and berries and then just spattered some of the paint color that I had used. 

Some of the charcoal smeared a little with the watercolor, but I think it has a nice overall look. I left out a lot of the original arrangement. Simplify...

Peace on Earth

It's a busy time of the year...and it's also a time to connect with friends - old and new. It's holiday card season!

I usually begin thinking about our Christmas card in the middle of summer and then get more serious about it as we move into Fall. I had a few fun ideas - I love holiday puns. But, the serious issues facing us right now (locally and globally) seemed to outweigh them.

We live in a very divided nation dealing with political debates, global warming, immigration policies, gun violence... the list goes on.

I needed something that could be serious and light at the same time. I needed some peace...some hope... some laughter...

So, I offer this ...

Peas on Earth

Interestingly, a majority of the cards we have received this Christmas have a Peace and/or Love  theme. What a lovely thought that we might all be thinking the same thing!

Merry Christmas!

"Happy Accident"

A little history... when I first started painting I was transitioning from woodworking. I discovered that painters need a hard surface on which to paint - a backer board to put the paper on. I looked around my workshop and found lots of luan paneling. I cut it into the dimensions I wanted - several different sizes - sanded them and brushed on polyurethane to protect the wood. These boards are lightweight and sturdy. Just right...and free!

Every December our art league has an exhibit at our local library that is exclusive watercolor. And, every year I fret about what I am going to enter. This year I decided to go with some abstracts.

I looked through paintings that I had already finished to see if anything caught my eye. Watercolor on yupo paper... there were several and one that had never been framed.

I gave it a critical look and decided to mat and frame it. Unfortunately, I do not have a series of photos about the process, but I do remember how it happened.

I was experimenting with how watercolor flows on yupo... I dropped some yellow paint on the wet paper, held it up and watched it flow. Then I dropped some red near the top and watched as it flowed toward the yellow. It was fun to watch, a nice experiment, interesting granulation, but I didn't think it was frame-worthy.

So, I turned the paper over and played with some other colors. Nothing really excited me, so I just left it all to dry.

A few days later, I went back to it, picked up the paper and turned it over! Amazing! The wet paper had picked up the texture of the wood paneling. That was something that I never considered - sometimes paintings just paint themselves... certainly a 'happy accident.'

I also entered another yupo abstract - "Blue on Pink" that I blogged about last August.

Both paintings are hanging at the library in St Michaels until the end of December. Drop by and see the entire show. There are some beautiful watercolors hanging on the gallery wall!

The Giving Tree

Last summer I received a call from my church. The Stewardship Committee was planning for their fall campaign  - it's the time of year for us all to review our financial commitments to our parish. They had hoped to NOT have a 'giving thermometer' this year, but would love to have a large bare tree. The idea was that when someone made a pledge, they would add a leaf to the tree...hopefully to fill the tree with leaves!

So, the call came with a request - would I paint a large tree? OK, I said yes...

When the time came, several weeks later... I wasn't sure just how to do this. I had not painted anything that large since I had done murals on the nursery wall for one of my first granddaughters! (she is now 20)

This tree was supposed to be 5 feet tall!

I finally figured out that I could use two sheets of foam core and tape them together - this would be lightweight and easy to transport. I used strips of wood and some clamps and set up my 'canvas.'

I am mainly a watercolor painter, but this was form core - not watercolor paper. Watercolor paint is so transparent that it didn't look right...and it also washes off.  I experimented with watercolor and acrylic paints...  I found that I kept painting like I was using watercolor even when I was using acrylic! 

I finally discovered that if I put the watercolor paint on thick, it would work... so I began...

A few more branches, some more detail on the tree trunk and some ground...

When it dried, I sprayed it with some fixative so the watercolor would not wash off!

It's now at church and has begun to collect leaves! It turned out to be a fun project!

Under the sea...

A few weeks ago I went on a day trip with my 'watercolor painter' friends. One of our stops was a dock/marina area. It seemed a great place to take photos for future paintings.

You need to know...I do not enjoy painting boats...  But, I found so many other interesting things as I looked around. Here are just a few of the photos I took.

A week or so after these were taken, I signed up for a class in composition. One of the suggested assignments was to take some photos, cut them into pieces and use them in a new way. Our instructor gave us a blank canvas...

There is more and more discussion these days about how we are polluting our oceans. I latched onto that theme.

 I began by painting the canvas blue/green... and cut up some of the photos.

I like the colors here...needed to put a few more 'grasses.' I may end up separating the rusty cans some, but this is it so far.

Look back at the photos. Can you find where these pieces originally appeared? 

Sky drama

In my last post, I wrote about my (sort of) aversion to landscape paintings. I find the stability of horizontal/landscape paintings is not inspiring for me. However, since my class was committed to work on skies, I decided to try to find the excitement of what I like about a vertical painting.

I again began with wet paper, but this time it was vertical. Unfortunately, I did not take photos of this process...I got too carried away with what I was doing! I used the same blue, red and yellow combination and 'globed' paint at the top of the paper.

I watched at it began to run down. When it slowed, I sprayed water on it in different places and continued to put more paint here and there. Spray...paint...spray...paint...  The colors were amazing! The drips created interesting shapes!

After it dried (that took awhile!) I darkened a horizon line and added a little soft color to the water.

Yeah, my horizon line is a little off...I'll fix that. But, I love the action and color in this! I guess I basically painted this sideways! Who knew you could do that?

Skies

My art group decided that we all needed to work on/experiment with painting skies. We talked about sky and water and reflections...what colors/triad to use...how to make the clouds interesting... - a helpful discussion.

One thing I know about myself is that I really am not much interested in painting landscapes...skies and land. There is something too stationary about a horizontal plane. I find that I do better work on a vertical piece of paper.

So, I began experimenting...we had had a lot of discussion about triads. I began with wet paper and ultramarine blue, alizarin crimson and aureolin yellow. It's a stormy look with just the suggestion of a horizon.

I let it dry and then darkened the horizon line and added a few more lines to the water.

The thing about triads that I am learning is that the same colors can represent so many different moods. This sky painting uses the same colors and is the more 'traditional sky.'

I again began with very wet paper. Obviously, I used lots more blue in this one. This particular blue granulates and adds texture to the sky. You can see the streaks of color. I don't much like this one - I think it's boring...

On to one more...I do think yellow skies are interesting.

I cut back on the blue - except to add it to yellow and make some green fields. I started to make a structure in the background and ended up just leaving it. I may go back to this one day and tweak it some more. This reminds me a little of the vistas in the midwest. You can see for miles!

Now, a teaser for my next blog. I did one more sky when I got to my class the following week. It is quite dramatic and deserves it own post.  As 'they' say..."Stay tuned!"