Well...I am home from the northwoods of Wisconsin - as you can see I managed to get my rotund body into a kayak and had an absolutely wonderful time paddling in Morton Lake. My friend Karol and I spent a great afternoon taking pictures and cruising around the area ending up in Manatowish Waters at a wine tasting in a wine shop...yum...now back to reality...time to paint again! The lower scene is taken from an overlook over McCullough Lake, part of Natural Lakes Nature Preserve, when I was staying with my friend Charlyne, whose home is on Morton Lake, part of the Natural Lakes.

The Northwoods and "Blog" Problems

Hello everyone...I am currently in the northwoods of Wisconsin and have not been painting...just taking lots of pictures for paintings. I am having a problem with my blog and cannot seem to get it to recognize and publish "comments" on my last two posts. If any of you have any ideas on how I can remedy this situation, I would certainly appreciate your help.
Barb

I haven't had much time to paint this week, so am posting this watercolor which I did a couple of years ago. It was a poured background with fluid acrylics and then finished with watercolors for negative painting and detailing. It is a favorite of mine - I guess I love bright colors.

Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright

This is a painting that I have never posted here on my blog. It is titled "Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright" after the poem by William Blake. It was painted early in 2008 and is a full sheet of Arches 140 lb. watercolor paper. It is one of my favorites, I guess! I poured the first layer of this painting with fluid acrylics, and finished it with Holbein watercolors, using mostly negative painting.

Dragon-Fly

Well, this is my version of the dragon-fly for the June project of Watercolor Workshop. Let's just put it this way...I have done better paintings! As you can see, my wings are not near what they are in the source photo and my head is too small. I had a lot of trouble with the wing that is in the back and that you can see through the other back wing. Not all paintings turn out or are successful paintings, but all of my paintings are a learning experience. Enough said!

Rainbow Warrior

This painting is for the June project for Watercolor Workshop where everyone paints from the same photograph. This month is a June Bug for June! I painted this on Masa paper, 9"x12". I soaked it, crinkled it up and then glued it to a piece of illustration board with matte acrylic medium. It was painted with regular assorted watercolors. I haven't painted on Masa paper for some time, but am still enchanted with the beautiful textures you can get with it.

Piqua, Ohio Homestead

I have been spring house cleaning and haven't been doing any new paintings this week...so I have decided to post some old paintings that have been sitting around. This is a painting I did about 12 years ago of a farmhouse near Piqua, Ohio. It is very realistic and I painted it from a pencil drawing I did in a drawing class in 1990. It is 1/2 sheet of Arches 140 lb. watercolor paper and a mixture of different watercolor paints. It is very realistic and tight and I would like to think that I have loosened up some since then. :)

Well...the weather is beautiful - too beautiful to be in the studio painting. The only problem is that there are a lot of things that need to be done around the house, and in spite of the good weather, I have no energy. So...guess I'll just have to enjoy the weather and let the work wait! I have been accumulating supplies for the watercolor batik paintings ...Sandy Maudlin has inspired me and as soon as the Kinwashi paper arrives, I will begin that enterprise:) I think it is a fascinating process and there is more information about it on Sandy's blog. (Link on this blog at right.)

Blossom Time

This little painting is 5"x5" and was painted from a photograph taken by Sue Drennan this spring. Her blossom pictures were just beautiful. Thank you, Sue, for generously sharing your pictures. This was painted on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.