Happy Valentine's Day!

Several years ago I stopped shopping for Valentine cards. They seemed too sappy or too ridiculous or...too whatever. They didn't fit what I was looking for. So, I now sketch some sort of a heart and usually hang it on a string and surprise my husband when he gets up on February 14th.

This year it is two hearts laced together... sort of zentangle-like. It's not the best photo...but, here it is.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

It's Banner time again!

Each February, St Michaels Art League (SMAL) artists submit artwork that will be scanned and printed on banner material. The banners hang along our main street from mid April until mid November. They add cheerful color and images to our town and everyone looks forward to what will be hanging each year. I heard that there are over 30 banners to be hung this year!

I began thinking about my banner months ago. The banner theme is "Celebrate St Michaels." Each year I have painted a crab doing something that represents our town. Last year the crab went shopping and showcased all the weekend festivals that happen throughout the tourist season. 

Other years "Mikey" (crab named by a friend...it's St Michaels, after all), has captained a boat, eaten an ice cream cone, hidden lanterns in trees ( that's another story), waved flags... you get the idea.

What to do this year? I occurred to me that I had never highlighted our Farmers' Market. Maybe Mickey should be a farmer this year...

My son was an organic farmer in Vermont for many years so I had lots of pictures of veggies in baskets. I looked through my picture file. Then I thought about the local markets here in Talbot County. The thing that lots of people go for first is the fresh corn. Maybe Mickey could be eating corn...

I began with a sketch on drawing paper...

I wanted to see what it might look like with color so I got out my paints. The paper wrinkles with watercolor, but it still gave me an idea of what it might look like.

An OK beginning, but he looks a little awkward. I needed to connect the crab and the basket of corn. He's grabbing another ear...

Then I needed figure out how a cartoon crab might hold an ear of corn. Two claws was not going to work if he needed to be grabbing another ear. How would it work with one claw? I actually got out some clay and tried to mold it so that could see how it might look!

After obsessing over that for awhile, I had him just holding it on the end. Then I worked on how to add his other legs.

I was finally ready to get out my watercolor paper and get it done! Final sketch...

 Beginning to paint it...

Painting completed... almost finished...

Adding final details...

Ready to go.  Discussions about title...  maybe "Ears to you!"

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?